Disaster Averted As Spidercam Catches Fire, Crashes On Pitch During Football Match
Players and a cameraman made a narrow escape after a spidercam fell onto the pitch during a friendly between Hungary and Kazakhstan at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen.
Players and a cameraman made a narrow escape after a spidercam fell onto the pitch during a friendly between Hungary and Kazakhstan at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen. Fans were quick to notice the faulty camera, which was hanging several meters above the pitch, and shared visuals of fire coming out of the device. However, the officials were unaware of the situation as the match went on. A cameraman, who was standing near the touchline, avoided a huge scare as the camera fell just a couple of meters from where he was deployed.
hungary-kazhastan camera has fallen pic.twitter.com/jkoKtv214s
— BEN (@H8Spy) June 9, 2026
Fortunately, nobody was harmed in the incident, and the match was halted for a short period to allow the debris to be cleared off the field.
A broadcast camera FELL from the sky onto the pitch during the Hungary vs. Kazakhstan match pic.twitter.com/qN563cCKne
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) June 10, 2026
The match restarted, with Hungary securing a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from captain Dominik Szoboszlai, Andras Schafer, and Rajmund Toth.
Neither Hungary nor Kazakhstan have qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, scheduled to start on June 11 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Somalian referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and was subsequently cut from the tournament by FIFA.
Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA's final list for the tournament, which was announced two months ago. He is one of Africa's top referees and was named the continent's best male referee in 2025.
He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over "vetting concerns," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Tuesday the referee was denied admittance for "very good reason" but also declined to go into details.
(With AP Inputs)
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