Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
Nope, it’s just a swarm of bees flying across the pitch at Kwaraa Stadium in the Tanzanian town of Babati.
And it sparked rather chaotic scenes during a game at the Tanzanite Pre-Season International Tournament.
Why was the match stopped for bees?
City FC Abuja and JKU FC were locked at 1-1 in the 77th minute when all of a sudden, players from both sides dropped to their bellies on the turf under instruction from the match officials as bees descended onto the field.
So too did a camera operator and an assistant referee.
The substitutes even took shelter underneath the bench in their efforts to avoid the bees.
Remarkably, the fans in attendance remained seated.
Perhaps those supporters were blissfully unaware of the carnage that had seemingly unfolded in the air above the pitch.
Either that, or they were incredibly brave and didn’t feel a need to drop onto the ground.
Although no official statements regarding how the bees’ unexpected presence came to be, local outlet Afrizum claimed unusual weather patterns throughout the week may have triggered the chaos.
It also speculated vibrations from the game was another reason behind the disturbance.
Did the match continue?
Thankfully, the bees eventually dispersed and the contest resumed.
Perhaps JKU FC would have hoped the bees stuck around a little longer given City FC Abuja scored a winner following the delay.
Luckily for all at the ground, Afrizum reported no player, official or supporter was stung by a bee.
Has a player ever been stung by a bee during a match?
If only those same bees were near former Barcelona defender Dani Alves during a Brazilian top flight match in October 2019.
Alves, who played for Sao Paulo, had an entirely different opponent during his side’s match against Fortaleza.
In the 25th minute, Alves got ready to fizz in a corner but immediately grabbed his neck as he appeared to be stung by a wasp.
Almost instantly, the camera panned to the corner flag where Alves was just moments prior and showed several wasps had settled on it.
Fortaleza defender Jackson de Souza decided he would deal with the issue the old-fashioned way as he protected his face with his shirt and removed the corner flag.
The corner flag had to be restored due to the league’s regulations, although the issue of the wasps was circumnavigated via a plastic bag placed over the top.
Following the match, which Sao Paulo won 2-1, Alves wrote on social media: “Not even the bees can put up with us, brother.”
Alves also told ESPN: “The truth is that my mother passed panela for me… I am very sweet.
“I never thought I would suffer a wasp attack in the middle of the game.”