REPORTS WE COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 WATER WONDERGOAL
If you haven’t seen Mattia Destro’s goal for Genoa in their 3-3 Serie A draw with Verona, it’s worth taking a look on YouTube – and not just because of the striker’s sublime turn and chipped finish. The outstanding goal was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was holding a bottle of water in one hand, having taken a drink just before the action restarted. He then celebrated by chucking the bottle into the home fans behind the goal.
2 “NUTS”
Animals interrupting matches has been a staple feature of this column, with dogs the most frequent offenders. One pup in Bosnia took things to another level, however, in a recent Bosnian Premier League clash between Sloboda and Posuje. Not content with just running onto the pitch, it even got its teeth on the ball, and dribbled it through the legs of one of the visiting players. The dog’s attempts to take on the whole team was interrupted when a substitute picked it up and carried it off the pitch.
3 WOLVES RECORDS
From dogs to Wolves: Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed a Premier League first by launching their own record label. Wolves Records, the result of a partnership between the club and Warner Music UK, will aim to support talent in the Midlands area, such as S-X, a singer-songwriter, producer, and fan of the team. “This is not just about supporting local artists, but a genuine and authentic move by a football club with a vast audience to penetrate the music industry,” said label boss Ricky Hill. In 2020, Ligue 1 side Marseille also launched their own label for hip hop, rap and R&B.
4 TYPO TROUBLE
Professionals often say that there is a right way and a wrong way to lose a game – and Tarbes’ exit from the French Cup would certainly belong in the latter category. The sixth-tier side were expelled from the competition after arriving 50 minutes late for their clash with Vabres-L’Abbaye – having first driven to Vabre, over 90 kilometres away – due to a sat nav typo. Thanks to the error, the hosts progressed to the fifth round without having to kick a ball.
5 SUPER SOAKING
AFC Fylde were forced to apologise after a number of their academy players soaked a family with water pistols. “We would like to extend our apologies to the family affected and will continue to educate our students on their behaviour and responsibilities in the community,” said the National League North club in a statement. “AFC Fylde Football Club does not condone this type of behaviour and has banned the students involved from this week’s games.” The apology came just weeks after the club were criticised for posting a job advert described as “discriminatory” during an online backlash. The social media post has since been deleted.
6 FIRE PANTS
October’s derby clash between Saint-Etienne and Lyon was expected to be a fiery occasion, with away supporters not even allowed to travel to the game. Yet that didn’t stop the home fans from getting themselves into trouble anyway: one Saint-Etienne supporter was arrested by police after he was found to have hidden two flares down his boxers.