Strange Trivia in Sports - Soccer or Football

Some strange trivia, facts, records, and events in the history of the sport of Soccer or Football.

SOCCER

Constantine Fatouros, a Greek soccer referee, had to disguise himself as a Catholic priest to escape an angry crowd at a match on the island of Chios. Unfortunately, he was discovered before his ship could leave for Athens, but he suffered only a barrage of flying fruit.

The largest crowd ever to attend a soccer match was 199,854 spectators at the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 16, 1950. The game pitted Brazil against Uruguay. Uruguay won the match, 2-1.

On March 8, 1961, Colin Jones headed a soccer ball 3,412 times in 34 minutes 8 seconds at Queensferry, near Chester, England. Jones set this record for heading when he was 15 years old.

Soccer teams in Kenya frequently retain medicine men to stand by the field mumbling incantations and casting spells because many of the players depend on witchcraft for luck and confidence. A ball is occasionally taken out of play because a team claims it has been bewitched.

Dave Lovatt of Derby, England, was fined 10 shillings for smiling at a referee during a game.

Sir Stanley Matthews, who played over 80 international games for England, played in a major contest on his 50th birthday.

A London clerk, Charlie Cooper, made a 70 cent bet in a soccer pool and won $630,375. His regular job paid $28 per week.

The record for winnings in a soccer pool was set March 24, 1965, when Geoffrey Liddiard, London, won $886,258. His original bet had been 52 cent.

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