Novak Djokovic eating grass at Wimbledon, a pistol-packing referee in Brazil or a Haris Sohail being scared by a ghost on the New Zealand tour. It’s been a bumper year for world sports’ light-hearted moments.
Did you happen to miss out on any one of them? Worry not, NewsMobile brings to you some of the best. Check them out.
Captivated — Indian jail installs cable for World Cup
Authorities at a prison in cricket-mad India installed cable television after a judge said they had to ensure inmates could watch the World Cup.
“Prisoners need recreation for a healthy mind,” Judge A. K. Goswami said as he ordered bosses at the central prison in the city of Guwahati to install cable TV.
For the love of the game
Spanish football side Getafe launched a smartphone application to help fans hook up at matches, hoping supporters would couple and boost the club’s fanbase by making Getafe-loving babies.
The club said its “Getafinder” worked like the popular app Tinder in helping users meet potential mates nearby, but it will only work near the side’s Alfonso Perez stadium in the Madrid suburbs.
“Getafe is historically one of the football clubs with the fewest fans and the most empty stands in the first division,” the club said in a statement.
“With this app you can seek out the Getafe fan you like best in complete anonymity. And if someone you like likes you too, make a match and procreate!”
Whistle? Check; Cards? Check; Pistol? Check
– When things started to go wrong during a Brazilian amateur football game, the referee took drastic action. Reach for a card? No. He went for his gun!
Players and staff of the Amantes da Bola and Brumahdinho teams brawled with referee Gabriel Murta getting kicked and slapped during the melee. So instead of reaching into his shirt for the card, he went back to the changing room for his firearm.
Video footage emerged of the referee brandishing a handgun at players before being led away by other match officials.
No arrests were made, but according to Globo newspaper the referee was to be given a psychological evaluation.
Jets on a roll
– The New York Jets were so determined to experience all the comforts of home during their trip to face the Miami Dolphins in London that they packed 350 rolls of their own toilet paper.
The NFL franchise’s senior manager of team operations told the New York Times that the Jets were bringing their own thick toilet paper to the English capital rather than relying on the thinner version Britons are used to.
“Some may say that’s a little over the top, but it didn’t really cost that much, so why not?” Aaron Degerness told the newspaper.
Azarenka fights to ‘pinish’ at US Open
Victoria Azarenka added a new word to the tennis lexicon after her US Open third round win against Angelique Kerber — ‘pinish.’
During changeovers, the Belarusian was spotted consulting a series of motivational, self-help tips.
When asked to reveal one, she said, ‘pinish.’
“It was my coach’s idea — it’s a combination of ‘punish’ and ‘finish’,” said former Australian Open champion Azarenka.
Czech footballers punished with hard labour
Banik Ostrava coach Radomir Korytar hit on a novel way of penalising his players for a run of poor performances — sentencing them to a spell of hard labour.
Equipped with hoes, rakes, spades and saws, the players gathered at 0645 every morning to work on improving the look of their training centre.
Korytar said the players would at least know “what they are in for if they don’t do their jobs properly”.
“There are some who have accepted it with good humour, but others grumble, for instance (Brazilian midfielder) Dyjan Carlos de Azevedo has complained that his arms hurt,” he told the Czech Sport daily.
Taylor’s car antics leave owner stumped
Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor was discovered asleep in someone else’s car after Nottinghamshire’s victory over Durham in English county cricket’s One-Day Cup.
Michael Whitaker was leaving for work when he found someone lying in his unlocked Chevrolet Matiz. It turned out to be the 29-year-old Taylor.
“Neither myself, the police or Brendan knew what to do,” Whitaker told the Nottingham Post.
“I don’t think he knew where he was but he was very apologetic and it quickly became clear that it was very innocent.”
Whitaker added: “Realising who it was made it even funnier because how often do you find an international cricket star asleep in your car?”
Putt the question! Player proposes to girlfriend on course
Danish golfer Andreas Harto missed the cut at the Made in Denmark tournament, but was still celebrating after proposing to his girlfriend on the 16th green.
The 27-year-old made a birdie, then gestured to his stunned girlfriend, Louise, who was watching from the sidelines and got down on one knee before plucking a jewellery box from his pocket.
“I couldn’t say any words and I didn’t hear her say ‘yes’, so I had to ask her afterwards and luckily she did want to marry me so I’m a lucky man.”
Sting when you’re winning — bees stop play
A swarm of bees attacked an English pre-season football friendly, with a bee-keeper having to be called to clear the hive.
The incident happened at Oldham’s ground in north-west England where the home side were to face Blackburn Rovers with photographs showing the bees had built a hive around the goalposts at one end.
“You cannot BEE serious? Hope everyone is swarming down today…,” tweeted Oldham FC.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic munches a bunch
Novak Djokovic celebrated his third Wimbledon title with a nibble of the famed Centre Court grass.
“It tasted very, very good this year. I don’t know what the grounds people have done but they have done a great job,” said Djokovic after beating Roger Federer 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (10/12), 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
Leg to differ! Djokovic autographs fan’s prosthetic
When Djokovic breezed into the Wimbledon fourth round, he was asked by a wheelchair-bound fan to autograph his prosthetic leg as he left Centre Court.
“The gentleman gave me his artificial leg…I want to be politically correct about it,” smiled Djokovic. “I gave him my signature. I hope it will make him feel better.”
Pearson’s ostrich moment
Former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson accused a journalist of being “an ostrich” during a peculiar tirade following his side’s 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea.
Ian Baker, who was covering the match for AFP, asked Pearson to elaborate after he told his post-match press conference that his players had had to deal with “criticism and negativity”.
“Have you been on holiday for six months? Have you been away for six months?” responded Pearson.
“Your question is absolutely unbelievable, the fact you do not understand where I am coming from. If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand.”
Pearson, who later left his job at the club, also mocked Baker’s voice and described him as “very stupid”, but later apologised.
Ajax happy to be mummy’s boys
The players of Dutch champions Ajax walked onto the pitch for their final home game of the season hand in hand with their mothers to mark Mother’s Day.
With the title already wrapped up, the Dutch giants took the opportunity to put a new twist on the traditional pre-match ritual where local children usually act as mascots for the players.
“#MothersDay! If they can’t visit us on #matchday, let’s visit them!,” @AFCAjax_EN wrote on the club Twitter feed.
Sanitary towel fix for sweaty Rosberg
Heat and humidity are a perennial problem at the Malaysian Grand Prix but Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg had a unique solution — wearing a sanitary towel inside his helmet.
“Actually I do have sort of a headband in my helmet, it is my trick, but I can tell you. I put a woman’s… erm… what do you call them? The thing you put in your underwear.”
When the interviewer suggested “Tights?”, Rosberg replies, “No, inside the underwear”, before the term “sanitary towel” was volunteered.
“Sanitary towel — I put that on my forehead in my helmet to take up the sweat,” confirmed the driver.
Taking the pizza? Couple’s 1,400-mile Super Bowl delivery
A Canadian couple went to extreme lengths as they prepared to watch the Super Bowl by placing a pizza delivery order from their favorite restaurant — more than 1,400 miles away.
Lee and Carol Brown, who recently moved to Regina, Saskatchewan from Windsor, Ontario, told Canadian media they placed the order after failing to find a local pizza parlor to their liking.
So as the Browns hunkered down for the American football showpiece they’ll be tucking into an extra-large pie courtesy of Windsor’s Arcata Pizza, weighing in at CAN$140 (US$110).
Most of the cost was absorbed by the delivery fee charged by UPS.
Pakistan player hit for six by ghost sighting
A Pakistani cricketer on tour in New Zealand was hit for six when he saw what he believed was a ghost haunting him in his hotel room.
Haris Sohail was convinced a “supernatural” presence was haunting him when he awoke to find his bed moving, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema said.
Cheema said that Sohail called a member of the coaching staff who arrived to find the 26-year-old all-rounder “visibly shaken”.
Sohail, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman, spent the rest of the night in the coach’s room at the Rydges Latimer hotel in Christchurch before being moved to another room.
A fan tweeted: “You’ve faced down Shaitaan (the devil), the Kiwis should be easy. Best wishes.”
(With inputs from AFP)