MEET THE MASCOT IT’S VERA, 102
THERE WAS something rather unusual about one of the mascots who walked out with the Manchester City players on Saturday.
For unlike the shoolchildren who normally accompany their teams on to the pitch, Vera Cohen is 102.
Vera, who like her sister Olga Halon, 98, has been a season ticket holder since 1930, walked out with David Silva after meeting manager Pep Guardiola.
Mrs Cohen, a member of the Shaare Hayim Sephardi community in Didsbury, said: “Pep said hello to me and I said ‘thank you for all you’ve done for this team’. Things used to be very different from how they are today. “They didn’t have a scoreboard when I first came. A man used to come around with a blackboard with the score on it.”
The mother-of-four, grandmotherof-seven and great-grandmother-of-15, says she tries to get to every home game. Last year, both women both met City captain Vincent Kompany when he dropped in for a cup of tea.
Mrs Cohen told the JC at the time: “We got the shock of our lives. He gave me a big kiss. He’s such a gentleman.” Last month Mrs Cohen presented a £23,000 cheque to Manchester’s Christie Hospital, for which she has raised money through baking in memory of her daughter, Jennifer, who was treated there before her death 16 years ago.
As for the game, Vera certainly brought her team good luck. They beat Fulham 3-0.