Why Blackpool fan staged a 40-minute protest

Protesters against Blackpool's owner Owen Oyston drive a car past Bloomfield Road stadium during a demonstration ahead of the English FA Cup third round match between Blackpool and Arsenal at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool, north west England on January 5, 2019. PHOTO | PAUL ELLIS |

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • The bus protester was eventually talked down before being arrested.
  • There were rows of empty seats inside the ground with more than 5,000 of the 9,000 fans supporting Arsenal.

BLACKPOOL

Arsenal's FA Cup tie at Blackpool got off to a bizarre start Saturday when a fan of the home side staged a sit-down 40-minute protest -- on the roof of the Premier League giants' luxury team bus.

The demonstration forced Unai Emery's men to travel to the third division club's Bloomfield Road ground in another bus.

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Since being in the Premier League in 2010, Blackpool slipped to the fourth division, before promotion to the third tier in 2017.

Fans protested against the club's owners, the Oyston family, outside the stadium ahead of Saturday's high-profile third round clash.

The bus protester was eventually talked down before being arrested.

There were rows of empty seats inside the ground with more than 5,000 of the 9,000 fans supporting Arsenal.

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