The Bizarre!

A look at the soft underbelly of the world's greatest game!

The Bear that Roared!!

Picture the scene: Two local rivals slug out a pre-season friendly. The away side lead 2-1 with only moments to go. The home side press forward in a last, desperate bid to salvage a draw. Just outside the box, the ball falls to the sides leading scorer, he shoots ... he misses and the ball sails harmlessly over the bar.
But no, the referee has blown his whistle.
The reason? - the defending centre back 'roared like a bear.'
The decision? - A direct free kick and a yellow card.
The result? - A 2-2 draw!

This is a GENUINE account of a GENUINE refereeing decision!

Wanted: Your Bizarre refereeing decisions.

Dodgy Pitches

We've all played on some pretty dodgy pitches, but spare a thought for the allied soldiers who spent the Second World War incarcerated in a certain German POW camp.
Not only were they denied their freedom for upto five years, but the only space availble for a football pitch was in a forest. This of cousre led to the development of the new skill of 'lurking' whereby a player would loiter, out of sight, behind a tree before emerging at an opportune moment to steal the ball and steal the glory.
It is rumoured, perhaps unfairly, that the trees put in a performance somewhat less wooden than the footballers cum actors in that classic 'Escape to Victory'

Dodgy Pitches II

(Paraphrased from 'The Times' 5th Sept '98)
Its an all too familiar story. A football pitch lost to building expansion. However, this was not enough to thwart FC Daszna of Zagreb. Unable to find any other suitable venues, FC Daszna made their pitch - full sized, marked out and with netted goals - on the top of 13 storey tower block. The problem of lost balls was overcome by postioning local children in the streets surrounding the block, who retrieve the balls and place them in the lift where they are returned to the playing arena.
However, there is a drawback. Attacking on the right towards one of the goals a section railing is missing and the edge of the pitch is a mere one metre from the precipice. The 'Bear that Roars' is sad to report that a recent challenge for the ball left one player dead and another with multiple fractures after they fell off the pitch.

e-mail me at:

Ball jeffpea@globalnet.co.uk Ball

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