Sometimes football can be a bit mental. There are a few stories that Hollywood scriptwriters could only dream of coming up with. Here are the top five craziest things to happen in the beautiful game.
Arsenal vs Dynamo Moscow 1945
You may think that the weirdest thing about this game would be Arsenal playing at White Hart Lane, but you’d be wrong. The game between Arsenal and Dynamo Moscow in 1945 was a mess from start to finish.
It was only a friendly, but both teams played as though the world depended on it. An incredibly thick fog set the scene, making it almost impossible for the officials to see what was going on, with both sides taking full advantage.
Rules were totally thrown out of the window. The Russians made a sub without even removing a player, with fans who were there claiming that the team from Moscow fielded 15 players at one point.
Arsenal weren’t innocent, however. They had a player sent off, only for him to sneak back on the pitch. At one point their goalkeeper knocked himself out, running into a goalpost, only for a fan to come on and replace him.
The game ended in a 4-3 loss for Arsenal.
Ion Radu; sold for pork
A long, long time ago, in 1998, a club in Romania had to resort to less orthodox methods in order to get Ion Radu off their books. CS Jiul Petrosani had just been relegated from the Romanian first division, and they needed to sell players.
Unfortunately, not many clubs were in the market for their players, so the chairman had to find other ways to get rid of Ion Radu. Fourth division side, Chimia Ramnicu Valcea took a liking to the midfielder.
Unable to find the actual cash to lure Radu, the chairman of the side that wanted him went ahead and offer two tonnes of pork in order to sign him, pork that could then be sold in order to substitute for the money.
It would seem the transfer fee weighed heavy on Radu, as he failed to live up to fan expectations. The club he joined for pork would go bankrupt and dissolve in 2004.
Chelsea fans and celery
Chelsea fans aren’t really known for their imagination when it comes to matchday songs, but they really pulled it out of the bag with this very odd addition. It’s not exactly family friendly, but it’s a staple at Stamford Bridge.
It all started in the 80s, when renowned Chelsea fan and song writer, Mickey Greenway wrote a song called, Ask Old Brown. The song went, “Ask Old Brown for tea and all the family, if he doesn’t come, we’ll tickle his bum with a lump of celery.”
As stated, the Chelsea fan adaptation is a little less PG, but the fans took it to heart, sneaking celery into the ground to pay tribute. In 2002, four Chelsea fans were arrested for celery throwing, and it 2007 it was eventually banned after Cesc Fabregas was hit with some.
It may no longer be allowed in Stamford Bridge, but some Chelsea fans continue to sneak in their beloved vegetable to away games.
Isles of Scilly football league
The Isles of Scilly are a tiny group of islands just off Cornwall, England. They’re also home to the smallest football league in the world, consisting of just two teams who play each other 18 times in a season.
The Woolpack Wanderers and the Garrison Gunners make up the league, with the Wanderers coming out on top in terms of league titles, lifting the trophy a record 5 times, while the Gunners have only won it once.
There are concerns for the future of the league, with most young people leaving the island in search of opportunity. Let’s hope it continues!
Madagascar own goal protest
In 2003, Madagascan champions AS Adema thrashed their rivals, Stade Olympique l’Emyrne 149-0 in what was obviously a league record. The only catch was that every single goal was an own goal.
AS Adema intentionally scored 149 own goals in protest over a referring decision which saw their manager lose his temper so bad he wanted to deliberately lose the next game. Even Antonio Conte can keep his cool better than that!
The manager and four players later received a lifetime ban from Madagascan football for their role in the protest.