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Protest using plastic pigs halts English soccer game

Protest using plastic pigs halts English soccer game

COVENTRY, England — Pigs were flying at a football match on Friday.

Fans threw so many of the small plastic pigs on to the pitch that the protest against team owners of Coventry City and Charlton Athletic delayed the start of their English League One (third-division) match.

The incident happened before the match, and when it did start, less than a minute later more pigs were tossed.

The referee made both teams leave the pitch.

The piugs were cleared and play resumed five minutes later.

Similar incidents occurred in October when the teams played at Charlton's home stadium The Valley.

Coventry and Charlton have fallen on hard times.

Coventry, FA Cup winner in 1987 when it memorably beat Tottenham in the final, was relegated from the English Premier League in 2001, ending a 34-year stay in England's top division.

Charlton, a Premier League club 10 years ago, was relegated from the second-tier last season.

A 1-1 draw on Friday condemned bottom side Coventry, nicknamed the Sky Blues, to the lowest tier of the English Football League next season.

The Associated Press