A strange incident in the UK has caused a temporary suspension of the Carabao Cup's fourth round match. On the 27th, when Fleetwood (4th division) and Arsenal played against each other at Highbury Stadium, a drone appeared in the air and flew over the pitch just two minutes into the match, halting the match for approximately nine minutes. English broadcaster LBC and newspaper The Sun reported the details and revealed that the drone was an unlicensed aircraft.
Arsenal were going for a free-kick in the early stages of the match when referee Michael Salisbury spotted a drone floating in the air. Although play was paused, the drone continued to hover overhead for about five minutes. The referee consulted with the coaches of both teams and instructed the players to return to the locker room, but the players gathered on the bench but returned to the pitch. Approximately two minutes later, police identified the drone operator, the aircraft left the area, and the game quickly resumed.
The English Football Association (FA) has set out on its official website the steps to take if a drone appears over a pitch or stadium. The referee is required to stop the game and not restart the game until the aircraft has passed or cleared the area around the players and spectators, and if the drone does not leave, he must instruct both teams to move to their locker rooms if possible. This incident attracted attention as the first case in which an unauthorized drone intervened in a match, and the FA regulations were actually applied.
There were no major disruptions to the match itself due to the influence of drones, and the match proceeded as normal after the restart. Both Fleetwood and Arsenal issued public statements regarding the drone incident after the match, pledging to strengthen safety measures going forward. It has been suggested that the FA may further tighten guidelines regarding the use of drones over stadiums in the future, reaffirming the importance of aerial safety measures throughout the football world.