The German’s Secret Weapon – And It’s Not Thomas Mueller
So what do you make out of England’s decisive defeat by Germany at the Round of 16 clash in the 2010 FIFA Word Cup competition in South Africa? Victory of youth over experience? Victim of black magic? Wrong strategies? There are probably many theories on why England lost when it was expected to win. But one possible reason, not quite easily believed, is that Germany has a secret weapon. No, it’s not Thomas Mueller who got a brace, but better than that, Germany got an unusal psychic who predicted its victory over England in dramatic fashion.
Paul The British Octopus Who Became German
This story was making the round in cyberspace before the match between England and Germany, but nobody could explain the significance of the behavior of Paul. Now with hindsight, there may be a possible explanation. Here goes.
The octopus is named Paul, an English sounding name, and no wonder, it was born in England. But this 2-year old octopus is raised in Germany, and now resides at the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen. Home to Octopus Paul is a klieg-lit tank at this aquarium.
Octopus Paul is a celebrity of sorts. Whenever there is an important soccer match involving the German national team, the owners of Sea Life Aquarium will turn to Octopus Paul for a prediction of the outcome of the match. So before the match between England and Germany in the knockout Round of 16, Octopus Paul was asked to exercise its psychic skill and predict the outcome of the match.
Octopus Paul Picked Germany To Win
Much to the delight of the owners and all Germany, Octopus Paul predicted a German victory. How was this determined? As usual, the owners put mussels in 2 glass cubes. One glass cube was marked with the German flag while the other had the England flag. Octopus Paul had to open one of the glass cubes, and eat the mussel inside it. The mussel that Octopus Paul chooses first means that the team whose national flag is painted on that cube will win. And on that night, Octopus Paul chose Germany to win.
How Accurate Has Octopus Paul Been?
Well, accurate enough to predict a German victory over Australia in this 2010 FIFA World Cup competition, followed by a German defeat by Serbia, and a German victory over Ghana. And now, as everybody knows, Octopus Paul was again accurate with a German victory over England.
Impressive track record? It seems Octopus Paul is getting better. In the 2008 European Championship, Octopus Paul predicted 80 percent of all German games right. Now at the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition, Octopus Paul has a 100% accuracy of all German games so far.
Strange Behavior
But there is something strange in the behavior of Octopus Paul in predicting Germany’s victory over England. Aquarium spokeswoman Tanja Munzig said: “Paul’s prediction was phenomenal. He swam straight over to the German glass, climbed in and even put a lid on top once he was sitting inside. It was completely crazy.” It seems that Octopus Paul never did this before, pulling the lid back on top of the cube after entering it to eat the mussel. In attempting to explain this bizarre behavior, Tanja Munzig said: “Either he was a bit ashamed that he gave up his English roots so quickly or he was just absolutely convinced about a fast, overwhelming German victory.” Tanja Munzig added that although Octopus Paul was born in England, ”he now carries a German passport,” because he has lived in Oberhausen for most of his life.
But could it be also that Octopus Paul was embarrassed that Frank Lampard’s goal was missed by the referee and the linesman. Afterall, everyone else saw the ball clearly crossing the goal line – except those who mattered. Listen to what the German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has to say about Frank Lampard’s goal: “I tried not to react to the referee and just concentrate on what was happening. I realised it was over the line and I think the way I carried on so quickly fooled the referee into thinking it was not over. Then I saw it on the television in the doping control office and saw what actually happened. And, yes, it was over. It should have been a goal for England. Probably about two metres.”
Were the Germans embarassed as Octopus Paul said they would? Jurgen Klinsmann, former German national team manager and Tottenham Hotspur legend and now sport analyst with ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition said: “That was a goal. It is a disgrace.”
Closing Thoughts On England
All this talk of Germany’s secret weapon (Octopus Paul) should not detract from the fact that England was outplayed and out strategized by a young German side. Would the result have been any different had Frank Lampard’s goal been allowed so the score at half-time was a respectable 2-2 draw? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Nobody knows the answer. But for all their skills and experience, England was superstitutious enough to stick to its all red jerseys which usually give them victory in the past. But not this time – Octopus Paul got the better of red jerseys.
Come to think of it, in the first round game against Algeria, England was surprisingly held to a goalless draw against the odds. Now there are theories again making the round, one of which is that the Algerians put a black magic spell represented by a pigeon guarding its goalpost that blocked out all England’s attempts to score. England supporter Shaman Olga Mowena from South Africa said: “It could be that someone supporting Algeria has visited a witchdoctor to put a spell on England… That bird was there at night when the birds are supposed to be sleeping… That told me it was protecting the Algeria goal.” And how can one be “cured” of this black magic? Shaman Olga Mowena said: “Bathe in powder from a tree bark to wash away the evil spirits.” It is doubtful that the England team did that.
Think About It
So there you have it. Did Octopus Paul the psychic and the Algerian black magic combine to render Wayne Rooney and the stars of England’s soccer ineffective, sending England crashing out of the Round of 16 at this 2010 FIFA World Cup competition? Or is it down to plain simple truth – the best team won, and it was not England.
Previous post
2010 FIFA World Cup – A Showcase Of Black Magic?
France Out Of World Cup – Bad Karma From Hand Of Thierry Henry?
interesting