Tottenham take on Anorthosis Famagusta in a 2007 UEFA Cup match at White Hart Lane. When the ball goes out of play, the Spurs ballboy adds a little extra on as he throws it back to the opposition.
Anorthosis fullback Konstantinos Loumpoutis kept his cool. Some of his colleauges have not managed so much restraint in the face of similar provocation.
Does anyone know what the locals are chanting? I can’t make it out.
Fetching and carrying footballs has never seemed so cool.
José Mourinho doesn’t adjust to defeat very well. The Chelsea manager is, however, an accomplished author of excuses. After the London club lost to Real Betis by a single goal in November’s Champions League match, Mourinho claimed that “the ballboys disappeared” as the final whistle approached. Foreigners add such creativity to the British game.
Although it seemed fanciful at the time, recent events seem to confirm that this was not a case of post-match paranoia.
On Saturday evening, Atlético de Madrid encountered a similar problem as they trailed Betis 1-0. With time ticking away, the Betis ballboys seemed increasingly uninterested in fetching and carrying for the players from the capital. This sideline strike action was allegedly carried out on the instructions of club officials.
As the game entered injury time, referee Miguel Ángel Ayza Gómez decided that he had seen enough. All fourteen Andalusian urchins were sent packing with a flash of the red card. Obviously this was labour intensive compared to simply adding time onto the clock, but infinitely more enjoyable for the man in black.