London: The Europa League game between Tottenham and Partizan Belgrade was briefly suspended near the end of the first half on Thursday following an apparently orchestrated series of pitch invasions that led to three people being arrested.
The referee led the players from both teams off the field in the 41st minute at White Hart Lane after a third pitch invasion. The score at that stage was 0-0.
Play resumed about 10 minutes later and Tottenham won the Group C game 1-0.
"Three pitch invaders at tonight's match have been arrested and are assisting police with their enquiries," Tottenham said on the club's Twitter page. "We apologize to fans for the disruptions caused by this totally unacceptable behavior."
It appeared to be an ambush marketing campaign, with the individuals who entered the field of play wearing shirts with the logo of a Tottenham sponsor.
One of the individuals attempted to take a photo on his mobile phone of himself with Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado.
Tottenham is set to be punished by European governing body UEFA for the security breach.
