A technical malfunction brought Saturday's Premier League encounter between Burnley and Sunderland to an unexpected standstill at Turf Moor.
The match official was compelled to suspend play when the stadium's floodlighting system began malfunctioning, creating a bizarre spectacle in broad daylight.
The lighting units around the ground started switching on and off repeatedly, despite the afternoon sunshine making artificial illumination unnecessary. The erratic flickering proved sufficiently disruptive to the players' concentration that the referee had no choice but to halt proceedings.
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The unusual interruption came shortly after Burnley had taken the lead through Josh Cullen's goal two minutes into the second half. Both teams, having earned promotion from the Championship last season, found their top-flight clash interrupted by the peculiar technical fault.
Play was halted due to faulty lights
|Reuters
Following the stoppage, the match official called over both team captains to explain the circumstances. Burnley's skipper Cullen, who had just scored the opening goal, joined Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka for a discussion with the referee about the unexpected delay.
While the officials addressed the situation on the pitch, Turf Moor's maintenance crew attempted to resolve the electrical fault.
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The ground staff tried switching the floodlights on and off multiple times in an effort to stabilise the system.
As technicians worked on the problem, players from both sides maintained their match readiness by passing balls amongst themselves. The warm-up exercises continued while the stadium personnel struggled to bring the malfunctioning lights under control.
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The lights caused major issues for the players
|Reuters
The maintenance team's repeated attempts to rectify the lighting system proved unsuccessful.
Despite their efforts to restore normal operation, the floodlights persisted in their erratic behaviour, continuing to flash intermittently around the stadium.
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The spectators at Turf Moor expressed their frustration with the lengthy delay through loud booing. The crowd's displeasure grew as the technical difficulties dragged on without resolution.
Eventually, the ground staff found a solution by switching off the floodlights entirely. With the problematic lighting system finally deactivated, the bulbs ceased their disruptive flickering.
Scott Parker's side won 2-0
| ReutersThe permanent shutdown of the lights allowed the match to restart. With daylight still sufficient for play, the absence of artificial illumination posed no issue, and the Premier League fixture between the newly-promoted sides could continue.