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Sewage Leak Stains England’s Uniforms (Yes, This Actually Happened)

Jun 15, 2010, 2:40 PM UTC

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â†µThis one is almost too easy to write. Or does the obvious “England is stinky” pun make it harder to be funny? Eh, it’ writes itself, really.â†µâ†µThe training facility for the English soccer team had a leak this week, and raw sewage spewed down onto the classic white uniforms of the Three Lions. Yes, if you thought their performance stunk…see…I can’t do it. It’s just too easy. â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥England aired their dirty linen in public yesterday after a sewage pipe leaked over their match-day kit. â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥The strip that Fabio Capello’s team will wear against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday had to be re-washed after the incident at the squad’s base at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus. An FA spokesman confirmed the leak and said: ‘There are no arrangements for a change of kit for Cape Town. The strip has been re-cleaned. â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥‘There was no real problem or alarms.’â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µNo real problems or alarms, but still pretty darn hilarious. Frankly, the English team played rather well against the United States, save for one, well, missed save by their keeper. Still, the English supporters routinely overvalue their team’s ability based on the all-star quality of their lineup and find the result of a tie against the USMNT to be terribly disappointing. Add to that tension the fact that several players on the English side have come up lame – Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney among them, though both should be back training today – and there’s a good deal of nervousness coming from the English camp.â†µâ†µMartin Rogers at Yahoo pointed out that the sewage leak, and subsequent jokes like Daily Telegraph writer Hentry Winter tweeted in “more stains on England’s reputation,” actually added some levity to the English camp. Even before the match with the United States, Fabio Capello was seen sniping at photographers and seemed to be taking a ton of heat for his decisions with the roster. After Robert Green’s gaffe in net, it’s only gotten worse for Capello and the English squad. There was even some speculation that the apparel company that outfits Green with his goalie gloves could drop him. The company has given Green their full support, for what that’s worth.â†µ

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â†µThe latest bit of controversy – other than the sewage stained jerseys, of course – has come from Jamie Carragher who told reporters that he feels Germany has an advantage in the World Cup because their league has been playing with the much-maligned Jabulani ball all season while the EPL has been playing with a Nike ball. The extra time with the ball, per Carragher, is an advantage.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“That is exactly what we were saying last night,” said Carragher, when asked if the Germans had gained an unfair edge. “That’s obvious. The ball is very different; I am sure it has helped them.”â†µâ†µâ†µGermany and England could play each other in the knockout round if one squad finishes first in its group and the other places second. England still has a lot of work to do to get out of the group, however, so looking forward to a match with their European rivals would not be prudent. With all their issues thus far, failing to get out of the group stage would surely stink the most.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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