April Fool’s Day is the one day a year media outlets offer a wink and a nudge with the made-up stories they publish. Still, too many people end up falling for the joke articles published on that day and that includes other members of the press, it seems.
During Arsene Wenger’s Thursday press conference, a reporter asked him about Per Mertesacker having his pre-match team talk streamed live on the internet this weekend. Wenger looked confused by the question, but others in the room quickly informed the man asking it that this wasn’t something that is actually happening. It was, in fact, just an April Fool’s joke courtesy of the Daily Mail.
Though the original story was somewhat believable if only because it was too lame to qualify as a joke, it carried a strong hint after the final sentence that read: “If you are scratching your head at this story, perhaps check the published date at the top…” So that’s embarrassing for the guy who asked Wenger about it.
To help prevent you from getting caught out in similar fashion, here’s a round-up of this year’s football related pranks:
-Arsenal and Puma teamed up with Puma to unveil a “left-footed ball.”
-The Mirror claimed that the Capital One Cup would have something called “selfie hot spots” — designated areas on the pitch where players can celebrate goals with a picture.
-The Mirror also claimed that Gillette would sponsor the Premier League’s vanishing spray next season…which seems like it could definitely happen eventually.
-New MLS side Orlando City claimed to have a purple pitch ready for their next home match.
It’s done. Years of hard work complete. The “Purple Pitch” is ready for Friday. Read: http://t.co/2KqPiMRcz4 #GoCity pic.twitter.com/OBz3O61pv6
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) April 1, 2015
-The London Evening Standard claimed that Chelsea and Arsenal (who might now be the official club of April Fool’s day) would jointly commission a “half and half” statue of Ashley Cole.
-The Telegraph claimed that Qatar would be awarded a place in Euro 2020 to help them “develop a footballing culture” before hosting the 2022 World Cup.
-Metro claimed that Usain Bolt was given a short-term contract by Manchester United, which is more believable than most things they publish.