Drone Delays Arsenal-Fleetwood Carabao Cup

An unmanned drone hovered over Highbury Stadium for eight minutes, freezing Arsenal's Carabao Cup tie with Fleetwood on June 8. Referee Michael Salisbury blew the whistle with just one minute and forty seconds left in the half. The stoppage stretched to more than eight minutes while police chased the operator and benches were consulted. Players kept passing the ball to stay warm as the crowd booed the airborne intrusion. After the drone finally drifted away, it later fell in a nearby housing estate. Play resumed with ten minutes left on the clock. The FA guidance says any drone sighting forces an immediate stop until it leaves the pitch area. Both reports agree on the eight-minute pause. Only the first adds that seven minutes of stoppage time were tacked on and that the drone crashed nearby.