Since its inception, the English Premier League has never failed to provide the sort of irresistible entertainment that has kept global audiences coming back for more.
The league’s reputation as the best and most followed soccer league in the world is rooted in these qualities: world-class footballers and gaffers immigrating to the UK seamlessly, ultramodern stadiums and training grounds with state-of-the-art facilities, elite administrators and officials, a strong sense of competition, and UK visas for foreign fans.
However, besides the usually intense, high-octane football that we have become accustomed to, the PL has also thrown up more relaxed situations, public gaffes by players, officials, fans, and managers, and other random funny incidents for fans. Here are the most memorable of them;
Chelsea Mascot Shuns Gerrard
Picture this! It is February 2006. Chelsea and Liverpool players line up in the Stamford Bridge tunnel, getting ready to march onto the field to start their Premier League fixture. This young Chelsea mascot, about 5 or 6 years old, calls Gerrard and stretches out his hand for a handshake. Gerrard reaches to shake the boy, but the boy pulls back, leaving Gerrard red-faced.
It was a truly funny moment—and whilst Gerrard’s teammates did well to suppress their laughter, the Chelsea players couldn’t resist. Thankfully, although clearly embarrassed, Gerrard saw the funny side, playfully tapping the Chelsea mascot twice on the cheek before making a wry smile as he marched to the pitch. Liverpool went on to lose the game; the insult came before the injury here!
Clashes of the Gaffers
Fans revel at the rare sight of managers having a go at each other on the touchline. Who doesn’t want rivalry raised up a few notches? Whilst they mostly comport themselves with exemplary dignity and mutual respect, managers sometimes let their emotions get the better of them during matches. Hence, fans get treated to the hilarious ugly view of managers scuffling on the touchline.
Chelsea managers seem to have a proclivity for this—Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger’s touchline spat in late 2014 was well-documented; rookie manager Frank Lampard showed he wasn’t afraid of a confrontation when he took on the far more experienced Jürgen Klopp in 2020; the most recent was the altercation between Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham’s Antonio Conte a few weeks ago.
Gerrard’s Slip
As much as this was an unfortunate incident that will probably haunt Steven Gerrard for life, it was also hilarious for neutrals.
High-flying Liverpool, in a two-horse race with Manchester City, looked almost certain to win the league – leading with 5 points with 3 games remaining and having a favorable run-in. They only needed to get a draw at home to faltering Chelsea.
However, man can only propose; fate had other plans. Steven Gerrard inexplicably slipped under no pressure, allowing Chelsea’s Demba Ba to have a straight, unchallenged run at goal. Nothing could be more ironic because Gerrard had, only a few weeks earlier, rallied his teammates to not “let slip” in the title race.
Liverpool didn’t recover and went on to miss the title by two points.
Dia’s Debut
Ali Dia got his chance to fulfill his dream of playing Premier League football when Southampton manager, Graeme Souness, signed him in 1996.
All would have been fine and Dia’s debut wouldn’t have been a talking point here. Except that he wasn’t a professional footballer. He had conned the gaffer into signing him by having his agent lie that he was the cousin of George Weah, one of the world’s best players at the time.
It didn’t take long for this fraud to be found out after he came on for an injured teammate. His top-flight career lasted less than an hour after he was taken off again in the same match.
After the game, Southampton player Matt Le Tissier commented: “He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice; it was very embarrassing to watch.”
A Duel of Teammates
This is probably the most ridiculous of the lot. And it’s shocking as well. Players sometimes lose their cool in the high-pressure atmosphere of the EPL.
A scuffle between two opposition players or even a mass brawl involving several players and coaches is not unusual. However, two players from the same team publicly bearing down on each other is a rare sight.
It did happen in the Premier League though. During a game against Aston Villa in 2005, Newcastle’s Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer got locked in a feisty duel on the pitch. Other players quickly got between them, but not before they had exchanged a few jabs.
With two players short on the pitch following Bowyer and Dyer’s dismissals, Newcastle really had no chance. They succumbed to a three-nil defeat. Are you also trying to picture the dressing room post-match?
End Note
Experiencing the immersive ambiance of a live PL match with family and friends is on the bucket list of most football fans. If you also fancy this experience, a Birmingham immigration lawyer can help you with the paperwork to make your dream a reality.
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