Drone Stops Game at Brentford Community Stadium
Players taken off pitch after authorised device spotted flying overhead
The drone above the pitch at the Brentford match. Picture: Offical Brentford Pictures
A Premier League match between Brentford FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers had to be suspended after a drone was spotted flying above the pitch.
The referee Peter Bankes suspended the game about half an hour into the fixture. An announcement over the public address system eventually confirmed to confused fans what was the reason for the delay.
There had already been an earlier lengthy break in play after two of the Brentford players collided and were left covered in blood.
The teams returned after about 15 minutes when it was confirmed the drone was no longer there and some more time was needed for the players to warm up in the bitingly cold weather.
In all this resulted in 19 minutes stoppage time being played in the scoreless first half.
Wolves took the lead in early in the second half with the Bees equalising through Ivan Toney. However, the home side's poor run of form continued with Ruben Neves scoring the winner for the visitors. Brentford manager Thomas Frank was given a second yellow card for remonstrating with opposition players after the final whistle.
The 48-year-old Dane said, "I will put my hands up. I tell my players to keep their emotions in check and not get stupid cards and of course that was stupid of me.
"The first yellow was for confronting a Wolves player and then I, irritated, turned around and [the referee] said it was too aggressive."
The players leaving the pitch during the incident. Picture: Offical Brentford Pictures
Disappointed fans after the game expressed anger at the person operating the drone. It was widely disputed that it could have been operated from within the ground and there was some speculation that it may have been controlled from an upper floor of one of the tall buildings in the vicinity of the ground.
A spokesperson for the club said, "The Brentford v Wolves match was suspended for period of time due to an unauthorised drone flying above the Brentford Community Stadium.
"Given the risks, the match officials and the stadium safety team followed agreed protocols to suspend the game and remove both teams from the pitch.
"The police are now investigating the incident."
The Metropolitan Police have yet to comment on the incident
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January 24, 2022