Why did the chicken cross the football pitch?
You know how it is: you’re a professional sports player, deep in the throes of a crucial game, when suddenly you’re faced with a plucky member of the animal kingdom. What do you do? Stop to give the thing a cuddle, or move it out of the way? Animals raiding sports matches aren’t as uncommon as you might think. Here’s a pick of ten of the most well-known limelight-grabbing creatures. Whether you view them as big annoyances or sweet internet sensations, these unruly beasts make for some pretty impressive images (and many of them go down in sporting history, too.)
1. Pining for a piece of the action
In March 2013, a Swiss football match between FC Thun and Zurich was thrown into chaos by the arrival of a pine marten on the pitch. Have-a-go-hero and Zurich player Loris Benito tried to grab the interloper and was repaid with a nasty bite from the weasel-like creature. Thankfully, gloved goalkeeper Davide Da Costa was on hand to intervene.
2. Hopping Mad
In June this year, a crew of crazy kangaroos went viral for their determined invasion of an Australian golf course. At least a major tournament wasn’t happening at the time… unlike the previous incident of the jumpy marsupials bouncing on to a golf course: a few months earlier, the Australian Women’s Open was put on hold when a mob of roos arrived at the Royal Canberra Golf Course. It also happened to be Valentine’s Day – how romantic.
3. That’s a Fowl!
In May 2012, a clucky visitor strode across the pitch of a match between Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic at Blackburn’s Ewood Park ground. Wearing a Blackburn Rovers flag, the bird is thought to have been placed there by fans in protest of the club’s owners, Indian chicken meat processor, Venky’s – and their under-performing manager and team. After slowing the game down, the hen was cornered in the nets by Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and Blackburn striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
4. Monkeying around
In India in November 2012, England’s final warm-up cricket match before the Test was delayed by a lovestruck primate. The match, against Haryana, was put on hold by the arrival of a langur monkey. Thankfully, it bounded away of its own accord – but not before it had got amorous with a female mate – in front of players, spectators and the world’s media.
5. Feline brave
In February 2012, Liverpool’s dull 0-0 home game against Tottenham Hotspur got more exciting when a tabby and white cat prowled on to the pitch. To the amusement of fans, the kitty even made itself comfortable and sat down on the turf. Eventually, it was caught and released on to the streets of Anfield. ‘The Anfield Cat’ became an instant internet hit, gaining 25,000 followers on its Twitter account. Soon afterwards, it was taken in by a local animal shelter, who neutered it (to curb its wandering instincts), renamed it ‘Shanks’ (after legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly) and put it up for adoption.
6. Going batty
Everyone knows that basketball players are tall and good at catching, but who knew they could use those skills to grab a flying mammal? In 2011, a basketball match between San Antonio Spurs and the Sacramento Kings got wild when a bat swooped across the court. When Spurs player Manu Ginobili grabbed it and removed it from the game, he received a triumphant applause from fans of Sacramento as well as those of his own team. What’s even more amazing is that someone behind the scenes was quick-witted enough to hunt down the theme from ‘Batman’ and blast it out through the P.A.
7. By Jaws!
OK, it’s not officially an important game, match or tournament, but the wild visitors to this Australian golf course had to get a mention. Following flooding, the lake at the Carbrook Golf Club in Brisbane, Queensland, became home to a family of deadly bull sharks, who are now thriving and breeding. They’ve become something of a local tourist attraction and consequently, there’s a monthly tournament called the Shark Lake Challenge, in which players pause play to look out for the sea creatures. Once upon a time, local children used to retrieve golf balls from the Carbrook lake in exchange for pocket money – needless to say, that’s now a thing of the past.
8. Penalty hoot out
In Colombia in 2011, the presence of an animal on a football pitch took a dark turn. Luis Moreno, playing for Deportivo Pereira, booted the bird bird of prey, which was a mascot of the opposition team Junior Barranquilla. He said he did it because he wanted to see if the owl could fly, but it had already been hit by the ball earlier in the match and went on to die. The player was the victim of vicious chants from rival fans, had to be escorted from the pitch by police and even received death threats for his part in the feathered friend’s demise.
9. What the duck?
Luis Moreno wasn’t the first football player to come under fire for on-pitch intervention with a large bird. In a 2010 game between SV Zulte-Waregem and Lokeren, a duck waddled into the stadium, only to be lobbed over advertising hoardings by Zulte-Waregem player Habib Habibou. The event meant that many people never forgot Habibou, with some saying it made him more notorious than any other event in his footballing career.
10. Paws the match
Friendly canines held up a friendly match between Turkish side Galatsaray and German team Ahlen earlier this year. The two dogs, which appeared to be Labradors, ran on to the pitch early into the second half. After briefly playing tug-of-war with a carrier bag, the stray mutts enjoyed strokes and pats from enamoured players, before being removed by security guards.
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