Football match in Guatemala is stopped after a 1.5-metre SNAKE slithers onto to the pitch, leaving both sets of players terrified
- A snake brought a match in Guatemala to an abrupt hold eight minutes from time
- Nueva Concepcion and Municipal players were left retreating from the snake
- Police and ground staff teamed up to capture the 1.5 metre long invading reptile
Chaos broke out in the top division of Guatemalan football when a snake dramatically brought a match to a halt.
In the 82nd minute of a game between Nueva Concepcion and Municipal, with the score 1-0 to Nueva Concepcion, the referee was forced to stop the action after noticing a snake, which was reported to have been 1.5 metres in length.
Players from both sides initially try to get a closer look at the reptile before a sudden movement suddenly has players racing away in fear.
A snake made its way on to the pitch in a match in Guatemala, causing the match to be stopped
Mutliple members of staff needed to intervene to capture the reptile of 1.5 metres in length
‘What is on the field is a snake, Guatemalan football has it all!’ an incredulous commentator said as the action unfolded.
In a first attempt to remove the snake from the pitch, a groundsman comes on with a large pole and a rake.
The groundsman quickly released the snake was too strong to be removed with a flimsy rake and the pole and two police officers soon come on to get involved.
Things take a more aggressive turn when the police officers attempt to cut off the snake’s head by forcibly pushing down with their riot shields.
Both sets of players kept a distance while the reptile was escorted away by three volunteers
Eventually one of the volunteer staff members manages to grab the snake from behind the back of its head to carry it away.
Three men are seen carrying the snake away before it is placed into a bag.
After the shocking disturbance of the snake, the match went on to reach a finish with Nueva Concepcion holding onto their 1-0 lead for their first win of the season.
Animals invading pitches is nothing new with a daring cat recently disrupting the League One match at Hillsborough between Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic.