A football match was suspended due to an emergency in the middle of play that saw players forced to lie on the ground and take cover due to a swarm of bees.
Players, referees, and a cameraman were forced to take evasive action in Babati, Tanzania during an encounter between City FC Abuja and JKU FC.
The two teams were level at 1-1 in the 78th minute at Kwaraa Stadium when the match was stopped to ensure the safety of the players.
While an assistant referee and a TV camera did the same, along with substitutes who hid under benches behind the dugout, only for spectators to remain unmoved.
It is unclear whether they did so due to being unaware of the situation or simply because they were unfazed by the buzzing insects.
Per The Sun[1], nobody was believed to have been harmed by the bees – and the match was able to come to a conclusion with City FC Abuja scoring a late winner.
A football match was suspended due to an emergency in the middle of play that saw players forced to lie on the ground and take cover due to a swarm of bees
Players, referees, and a cameraman were forced to take evasive action in Babati, Tanzania during an encounter between City FC Abuja and JKU FC
Fans were quick to respond to footage of the bizarre incident on social media as they expressed their shock and surprise.
One user wrote: ‘Nature doesn’t care about your football schedule. Smart move to lie down though, hope no one got hurt.’
A second added: ‘This is just unnecessarily funny.’
A third commented: ‘Just wow.’
It is not the first time such an incident has disrupted a major sporting event, with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev forced to run for cover during their Indian Wells quarter-final in 2024 after a swarm of bees invaded the court[2].
In remarkable scenes more reminiscent of a horror movie, thousands of bees descended on the main stadium in California, with play immediately suspended.
An incredible photo shows the insects all over the ‘spider cam’ that glides across the court, with officials forced to raise the camera high above the stadium in a bid to take the bees with it.
Play was similarly disrupted at last year’s Indian Wells tournament – with Carlos Alcaraz forced to run for cover as the insects invaded the court
TV coverage carried a message on the screen detailing that play had been suspended due to a ‘bee invasion’.
In one clip, aired on beIN Sports, Alcaraz was seen running off court and attempting to swat the bees away from his head as they took over the match – which has started just nine minutes previously.
References
- ^ The Sun (www.thesun.co.uk)
- ^ after a swarm of bees invaded the court (www.dailymail.co.uk)