Linesman hit by flare in Villa-Spurs tie

Two men were arrested after an assistant
referee was struck by a flare thrown from the
stands during Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0
Premier League win at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Spurs had just taken a 31st-minute lead
through Andros Townsend at Villa Park when a
canister trailing black smoke was lobbed
towards the playing surface, apparently from
the away supporters' section.
It hit assistant referee David Bryan on the
back, causing him to stumble forwards, but
after a brief stoppage in play while referee Phil
Dowd spoke to his colleague, the game
continued.
Local police revealed that two men had been
arrested in relation to the incident.
"Police have arrested 2 men after a lit flare
was thrown on the pitch during the Villa v
Spurs game - the flare hit a linesman," said a
statement from West Midlands Police
published on Twitter.
"The two men aged 25 and 47 were arrested
following the incident at Villa Park, fortunately
the linesman wasn't injured."
Later Sunday, the Football Association said that
the incident would be investigated.
"The FA will investigate this matter, which is
unacceptable," said a spokesman.
"We will await the match officials' report and
will be speaking to the clubs.
"Such incidents highlight the dangers of
pyrotechnics being used in a football stadium."