Over the years, we have witnessed many different reasons for football matches being delayed. Often called “the beautiful game”, we have seen many instances where you would be forgiven for thinking that it’s, on occasion, the downright bizarre.
As you read on, you really will come across several hilarious reasons why football matches have been delayed and you may just remember one or two of them.
Pitch Invaders Of A Different Kind
In football it is quite common for fans to run onto a football pitch especially if a team has just won promotion or made a dramatic ‘great escape’ out of the relegation zone. However, on some occasions these are done out of protest (usually one individual). What is rare though is to see an invader of a different ilk.
Known very much for its impartiality and stance on anti-violence, Switzerland is a country that rarely witnesses any volatility at football matches, though all those involved in a Swiss Super League match between FC Thun and FC Zurich in 2013, didn’t know what to do when the pitch was suddenly invaded by a pine marten (an agile weasel-like creature).
Zurich defender Loris Benito tried to play the hero, making a flying dive to try to catch the marten and got a bite on a finger for his troubles. Eventually, it was goalkeeper David da Costa, with his gloves who managed to wrestle the creature into a steward’s net.
Meanwhile, in a Premier League game in 2012, between Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, in protest against their owners, the Venky’s (a global poultry company), Blackburn fans made a stand by releasing a chicken onto the pitch, draped in a Rovers’ flag. In the end it was Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and Blackburn striker Yakubu who managed to resolve the situation.
UEFA Kerfuffle
Now we’re starting to veer into territory that you probably wouldn’t believe unless you were there to witness it.
In what has to be arguably one of the best negotiations in media history, the BBC persuaded UEFA to delay the 2001 semi-final first leg between Barcelona and Liverpool by 15 minutes so the British public could tune in to see who had shot Phil Mitchell in the popular soap, Eastenders.
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It was understood that both clubs agreed to delay the game which ended in a draw, with the Reds eventually going on to win at Anfield before lifting the UEFA Cup trophy as part of a historic treble.
Meanwhile, in the 1998 Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu, a group of eager fans climbed the perimeter fence with the tension causing a supporting cable to snap, pulling the goalpost over and easily breaking the frame.
UEFA regulations stated the game had to be restarted within a specific timeframe otherwise it would be forfeit and the home side didn’t have a spare goal on site.
In a desperate gamble, a club official and a groundsman drove a van to the club’s training ground, seven miles away, through Madrid traffic, smashed through a locked gate, found a goal and hurriedly (and safely), strapped it onto the roof of the van.
With the clock ticking down, the goal was delivered onto the pitch, with the stadium erupting in joy as the game restarted 75 minutes later with the hosts going on to record a 2-0 win. It is true what they say. Real heroes don’t wear capes.
