Welcome to the Footy Professor – the weekly column that aims to examine football from a different perspective. Today’s edition looks at 5 of football’s strangest moments. Enjoy responsibly…
Chloroforming yourself: Now that’s a first
Almost 84 years ago, a trainer with the USA soccer team ran on to the field to argue with the referee. This happened to be the World Cup semi final between Argentina and you guessed it, the USA. Not only did the man embarrass himself and his nation by sprinting onto the field during play, oh no, he wasn’t finished there. In the process of this galloping escapade, the irate trainer threw his medical bag on the ground, produced a bottle of chloroform and then decided to take a nap. Well, actually, he collapsed in a bundle because he actually knocked himself out.
Hey you, no laughing.. Or else
Back in 2002, I kid you not; the Chile Under-20 team were fined heavily for laughing. Outrageously, a member of the squad decided to tell a joke, so the FA decided to punish the entire squad in a manner more fitting to a North Korean dictator. Hilariously, the coach filed a complaint with the FA because he failed to regain power and organization after the gag had been uttered. Ironically, this farcical scenario turned a dressing room joke into a nationwide joke.
I believe I can fly
We are aware of the infamous Fergie, football boot, Beckham situation, but Grimsby Town manager Brian Laws took punishment to a new level. Back in 1996, Laws reportedly threw a plate of chicken wings at Ivano Bonetti after blaming the player for his sides defeat. Unimpressed by Bonetti’s pedestrian approach to play, he decided this unorthodox punishment was best suited. One wonders why exactly chicken wings were in the dressing room of a professional football team, perhaps not the best diet for success. I doubt Mourinho or Ancelotti would endorse a lifestyle consisting of chicken wings.
Blatter’s blunder
What’s this, Sepp Blatter causing controversy, surely not? A decade ago, the man with about as much common sense as a Jersey Shore member hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. When the head of FIFA was asked how women’s soccer could be improved, he suggested one way would be to introduce more feminine friendly clothing. Not finished there, the Frenchman suggested tighter shorts might improve popularity. Well, it definitely would encourage more men to pay close attention, of that I am sure.
Off the hook
It’s kind of sad to think that Clarence Acuna’s most notable moment at Newcastle came while he was in fancy dress. In 1999, the midfielder was asked to pull over by the cops after attending the Magpie’s Christmas festivities. But this was a caution with a notable difference; Acuna was dressed as Captain Hook. Luckily for him, no charges were pressed. Yes, you guessed it, he got off the hook, he avoided walking the plank, he… oh, forget it, I apologize.
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