{"id":509134,"date":"2026-03-02T08:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T08:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/509134\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T08:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T08:53:11","slug":"tottenhams-existential-strife-and-a-couple-of-heartwarming-stories-from-the-soccer-world-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/509134\/","title":{"rendered":"Tottenham\u2019s existential strife, and a couple of heartwarming stories from the soccer world \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUOTE<\/p>\n

\u201cStyle needs to be in the second moment because for now it is a question of life and death – if I can say that sportingly.\u201d <\/p>\n

Spurs<\/a>\u2019 interim gaffer Igor Tudor sportingly describing his team\u2019s current brush with death, ie the Championship. <\/p>\n

Grief for the thing with feathers<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf7 CRAZY: Not all heroes wear capes. <\/p>\n

The goalkeeper hit a seagull with the ball right during a match of the Istanbul amateur league!<\/p>\n

It happened in Istanbul’s 1st Amateur League Play-Off Final (Zeytinburnu district) on Feb 22: Istanbul Yurdum Spor vs Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/pztuq5cqi1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE (@Protect_Wldlife) February 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Those of you who keep up with the important news through the week will already be familiar with the heroic actions of Turkish footballer Gani Catan. In case you, weirdly, missed it, here\u2019s the gist:<\/p>\n

During the seventh-division title decider between Istanbul Yurdum Spor and Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar, a low-flying seagull was hit by a goalie\u2019s kick-out and was left lying motionless on the pitch with its legs in the air. <\/p>\n

Catan, the captain of the Istanbul side, ran to its aid and started performing CPR on the poor critter while players from both teams gathered around to watch. The ref hovered too, possibly not sure whether to book him for time-wasting or nominate him for the Fifa Humanitarian of the Year award. <\/p>\n

Eventually, AFP reported, the bird started breathing, so Catan \u201ccarried it off the pitch to medical staff, who took care of it\u201d. The game resumed, Catan\u2019s side lost on penalties, but it didn\u2019t dampen his mood. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful thing to have helped save a life – this was more important than the championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, he received animal rights organisation Peta\u2019s \u201cHero to Animals\u201d award, while his club is considering adding a seagull to its crest. It was, undoubtedly, the feelgood tale of the week, enough to leave anyone with a heart blubbering with emotion. Just lovely. <\/p>\n

Until AFP banjaxed the euphoria with an update: \u201cThe story ended sadly, however, as the bird later died.\u201d RIP.<\/p>\n

NUMBER: 138 <\/p>\n

The average price, in euro, of a ticket for a PSG home game, making them the most expensive side to watch in Europe, according to a newly published Uefa report. Mon Dieu. <\/p>\n

WORD OF MOUTH<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing I noticed different was the smell of weed in the tunnel before the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom after his side\u2019s game away to Swansea City when the Welsh club\u2019s co-owner Snoop Dogg paid his first visit to the ground – and its, eh, tunnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Gianni is a man of the people, and he\u2019s always out there celebrating the great parts of the sport. I think he\u2019s made great contributions to the world of football.\u201d<\/p>\n

NFL legend Tom Brady paying tribute to Fifa president Gianni Infantino<\/a> – with a straight face too.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the eve of a match, he would drink wine at the hotel, or beers. He hardly slept at all. He\u2019d come banging on my door around three in the morning to wake me up. He is crazy. But he would score hat-tricks after all that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Chilwell on his former Leicester team-mate Jamie Vardy\u2019s somewhat unique prematch preparations.<\/p>\n

Not such a perfect match\"DerricksonDerrickson Quiros and his then fiancee after he proposed on the pitch <\/p>\n

No more than the attempt to save a seagull\u2019s life, there was a beautiful moment in Guatemalan football last week when Club Xelaju player Derrickson Quiros proposed to his girlfriend on the pitch after their win over Marquense. <\/p>\n

Quiros got down on one knee, asked his partner to marry him, she said yes, and the few hundred auld romantics watching on in the stadium applauded wildly. \u201cMy life partner, I love you so much,\u201d said Quiros on Instagram later. Your heart wouldn\u2019t have been able for it. <\/p>\n

Will they live happily ever after? Eh, no. Three days later: \u201cMy relationship has ended,\u201d Quiros announced. His now ex-fiancee: \u201cIn the end, there will never be a better answer than the one that silence offers.\u201d Life partners for three days, then. <\/p>\n

Spot the wrong ball\"Kmart'sKmart’s Matildas ad <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that football isn\u2019t popular in Australia, it certainly is, but, of course, for quite a few folk from there, \u201cfootball\u201d means the Australian Rules version. People like, say, department store chain Kmart. <\/p>\n

Last week they put an ad on their website promoting the upcoming Asian Cup campaign of the Matildas (the national women\u2019s soccer\/football team). It featured a model wearing a Matildas shirt and holding …an Aussie Rules football. <\/p>\n

Any notion they might have been having a chuckle was quashed when they speedily replaced the photo with one featuring no ball at all. Morto.<\/p>\n