THE AMAZING WORLD OF FOOTBALL

FACT 1
MOST VIOLENT REFEREE
German referee Bayram Kaymacki was absolutely without mercy on the football pitch. But one day, he took it just a bit tooooo far! When he sent player Osbert Vorwerk off for a foul, Osbert refused to go. Refreee Kaymacki, cool as a cucumber, took out a gun and shot Osbert in the head. Osbert was only hit in the ear, but his team mates refused to play on until the referee was replaced. Kaymacki told reporters after the match, "One has to maintain discipline on the field, otherwise the game doesn't flow properly and children can't enjoy it."!!!
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FACT 2
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Manchester United were the first club to win the F.A. Cup having played all of their games away from home. This happened shortly after the war and was caused by bomb damage to Old Trafford. To the best of my (Brian Dawson's) knowlege we are still the only team to have ever achieved this.
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FACT 3
WORST DISCIPLINARY RECORD
No doubt about it, this record goes to Ricky Goddard of North Warnborough. By 1992, he had been suspended for five out of his nine years as a footballer. On one ocassion, he was banned for six months when he sneaked into the ref's changing-room at half time and urinated over all his clothes.
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FACT 4
THE MOST CONFUSED MATCH EVER
This took place at White Hart Lane, of all places in 1945. Arsenal were playing Dynamo Moscow when a dense fog decended on the pitch. The referee refused to abandon the match because the visting team had come all the way from Moscow. The game swiftly reduced to farce! One Arsenal player was sent off for fighting, but sneaked back on again in the fog. The Russians substituted a player, but never sent their player off. Indeed, there were strong suspicions, that throughout the game, the Russian side secretly increased from 11 players to 15! The problem was that no-one could actually see enough to count them. The final confusion happened when the Arsenal goalie became diorientated in the fog, ran into the goal post and knocked himself out. He was replaced by a member of the crowd.
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FACT 5
THE FASTEST GOAL
In first class football, this0 was scored by Jim Fryatt of Bradford Park Avenue on 25th April 1964. Just four seconds after the kick-off, Tranmere Rovers found themselves a goal down.
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FACT 6
MOST FAMOUS FOOTBALL QOUTE
This was spoken by Liverpool Manager Bill Shankly (1959 - 74) when he remarked "Football isnt a matter of life and death... it's much more important than that"
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FACT 7
THE MOST GOALS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED
Andy Cole scored a miraculous 5 goals in a league match against Ipswich. The final score was 9 - 0 which is also a record for the Premier League
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FACT 8
A SHORT FOOTBALL PITCH
In the 1884/85 Scottish Cup, Rangers lost to Arbroath 4 - 3. When the football pitch was measured after the game, it was found to be 11 inches short. The match was replayed and Rangers won by an amazing 8 - 1
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FACT 9
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
They were formed in 1867 from a cricket club. The name Wednesday was used because the players were only free to play each Wednesday
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FACT 10
COVENTRY CITY (SKY BLUES)
The 'Sky Blues' were first formed in 1883 and were kown as Singers FC. Coventry first entered the First Division in 1967 and have astonishingly remained there ever since - a feat only beaten by Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool
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FACT 11
RECORD ATTENDANCE
This was for a World Cup final match, and stands at 203,500 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the match between Uruguay and Brazil in 1950
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FACT 12
1966, ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
This was the first time in 32 years that a host country won the World Cup. For the first time ever, a player (Geoff Hurst for England) scored a hat trick in a World Cup final. England beat West Germany 4 - 2 after extra time
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FACT 13
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL MATCH PLAYED BY ENGLAND
Was on 6th June 1908 against Austria in Vienna. England won by an amazing 6 - 1. Two days later we played the Austrians again in Vienna, and this time we won by a staggering 11 - 1
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FACT 14
THE MOST WORLD CUP SERIES
The record for playing in the most World Cup Series is held by Mexican goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal. He played for Brazil in 1950, Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962 and finally at Wembley in 1966
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FACT 15
THE BEST MANCHESTER UNITED FA CUP RECORD
This honour goes to Eric Cantona who has played in no less than 14 FA Cup games for Manchester United without losing a single match. With Eric gone to pastures new, his record looks like standing.
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FACT 16
MAXIMUM WAGES FOR A FOOTBALLER
In 1891 the maximum wage for a football player was legally set at �4 a month in England. The signing on fee was an amazing flat �10!!!
In 1960/61, the maximum wage restriction was removed and Johnny Haynes of Fulham was the first British footballer to earn �100 a week
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FACT 17
WORST TEMPERED FOOTBALLER
This record goes to Fernando d'Ercoli playing for Pianta against Arpax in Italy 1989. When he was given the red card by the referee, he got so mad that he snatched the red card from his hand and ate it all! Another display of temper came from Mike Bagley of Bristol in 1984. When the referee booked him for swearing, he toook the ref's notebook, ripped out the page with his name on, and ate that!
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FACT 18
WORST EXAMPLE OF 'I HATE MY MATE'
Mike Flanagan and Derek Hales were both sent off for fighting in a match in 1989. The problem was, that this reduced Charlton Athletic to nine men, because both players were on the same side.
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