Drone halts Arsenal's Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood for more than eight minutes
A drone flown over the pitch stopped Arsenal's Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town for more than eight minutes on Tuesday night. The referee, Michael Salisbury, halted play with one minute and 40 seconds on the clock after spotting the drone above the stadium, according to BBC Sport.
At the moment play stopped, Arsenal were waiting to take a free-kick. The players then waited on the pitch while the stoppage went on. The match resumed with 10 minutes on the clock.
The Carabao Cup is the League Cup, a knockout competition in which one defeat ends a club's run. This was the fourth round, the last 16 of the competition, and it was scheduled for 8pm. Fleetwood were the home side at Highbury Stadium, the ground in the Lancashire seaside town, not the Arsenal stadium in north London.
Fleetwood Town play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English league system. Arsenal are one of the best-supported clubs in the Premier League, the top division. Fleetwood had already beaten Sheffield United in the previous round to reach this stage. A cup night like this can be the biggest of a small club's season, and the drone meant that the crowd had to wait longer than expected to see the game.
Police carried out an investigation during the stoppage, and officers found the person flying the drone, Sky Sports commentary reported. The stoppage was not caused by a player, a coach or a supporter on the pitch. It was caused by an object in the air above the stadium.
Drones are small remote-controlled aircraft with cameras, and they are increasingly common near sports grounds. Their presence can lead to a match being halted, because a stray object near the play can be a danger to players and to the people in the stands. Referees have the power to stop a match whenever they judge that conditions are not safe, and that is what happened here.
Once the game got going again, the clock picked up from where it had been left. The tie carries on, with the result still to come. Fleetwood Town and Arsenal both have their places in the competition to play for.
