NL game abandoned after Kosovo players walk off

The UEFA Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo was suspended in stoppage time with the score 0-0 in Bucharest on Friday.

There were scuffles between players from both teams and Kosovo players walked off the pitch.

UEFA did not explain why the game was cut short but Kosovo players were reportedly upset at hearing pro-Serbian slogans. In a note on its website, UEFA said that the game had been “abandoned” and that it would “communicate further information in due course.”

After historic tensions were heightened by the 1990s Balkans conflicts, in 2008 majority ethnic Albanians in Kosovo declared independence for the former Serbian province. Serbia refuses to recognize that independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood.

Games involving Kosovo, Albania and Serbia have been a tinder box in recent years.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.