Enquiries are ongoing following footage of a rugby ball being kicked from the top floor of a tower block overlooking the Gtech Community Stadium. The game between Brentford and Liverpool was unaffected by the ball, but the club is currently pursuing those responsible. The video of the stunt has been prominent across social media.
Fortunately, the ball did not enter the field of play or cause any injuries to those in the stands below. Other projectiles launched from outside the white lines of a football pitch have been more successful in reaching their targets in the past. While many have been dangerous, others have been of a more comedic nature.
In 2005, a Champions League fixture at the San Siro between AC Milan and Inter Milan was temporarily halted as flares rained down on the AC Milan goal. Milan’s Brazilian goalkeeper, Dida, was struck on the shoulder by a lit flare thrown by Inter fans above. The hail of fire was a reaction to a disallowed goal by Esteban Cambiasso. Inter fans would have the last laugh, however, as Liverpool lifted the trophy after beating Milan in a thrilling final dubbed ‘the Miracle of Istanbul’.
The famous photograph taken amid the chaos featured Inter defender Marco Materazzi leaning on the shoulder of AC Milan’s Rui Costa. The two appeared relaxed as the inferno before them consisted of smoke and pyrotechnics.
In Spain, Luis Figo’s return to Barcelona following a summer move to rivals Real Madrid was hostile, to say the least. The Catalan crowd showered Figo with anything they could find in their pockets when the Portuguese star approached the corner flag during El Clásico.
One of the more iconic scenes from that game in 2002 was a pig’s head being launched at Figo. Following police intervention, which held up the game for between 12 and 16 minutes, the match ended 0–0, with Figo eventually making it out of the Camp Nou in one piece.
The now-ancient art of streaking on a football pitch has become a rare sight in the modern game, but back in its heyday, one man established a remarkable unofficial record. Mark Roberts, from Liverpool, has reportedly streaked 568 times at sporting events, including Wimbledon, UEFA finals and even the Super Bowl.
Roberts notably managed to put the ball into Bayer Leverkusen’s net during the 2002 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid at Hampden Park, although not quite as elegantly as Zinedine Zidane. Roberts’ most recent streaking appearance came at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, during a medal ceremony. Thankfully for the Liverpudlian legal team, he has managed to keep his clothes on since then.
Image Credit: Elliot Smith