OVER the last few weeks, as we seem to get at the start of every season, most of the media has been having a cow over the state of refereeing and player’s diving habits. Today in 2007 saw one of the most ridiculous dives ever seen on a football pitch as AC Milan ‘keeper Dida took a tumble during the Rossoneri’s clash with Celtic.

The Champions League Group D clash was nearing it’s conclusion, with Gordon Strachan’s men 2-1 up and on the cusp of a famous win when a fan managed to weave his way through the Celtic Park stewards and get on the pitch.

The said Celtic fan, obviously feeling pretty chuffed with his sides performance and maybe a little fuelled by a tin of McEwans or two, ran towards the Milan goalie, gave him a tap on the shoulder and ran off back into the crowd.

Dida then turned to the fleeing fan and set off after him, looking like he wanted to lamp the scallywag. But then, after a couple of steps he clutched the side of his head and hit the deck, going down heavier than Cristiano Ronaldo when someone has the audacity to tackle him. The Brazilian was then stretchered off as the rain poured down and Celtic held on for the win as up in the Sky Sports studio Charlie Nicholas described the blow as a ‘little tickle’.

Now, it’s possible that Dida’s adrenaline kicked in when he was struck and he maybe didn’t feel the pain for a couple of seconds. Hmm. Or maybe when he realised following a pissed-up Scottish fan into a crowd of fellow inebriated Scots all guns blazing was not a good idea, so milked the situation for all it was worth and hoped that the suits at Uefa would come down heavy on Celtic and award the match to Milan.

Nice try mate.

In a rare act of common sense Uefa weren’t fooled in the slightest and slapped Dida with a two-match ban for his overreaction. Celtic were also fined £25,000, half of which was suspended over two years and the fan that ran onto the pitch later turned himself in to the police.

Although his theatrics were undeniably over-the-top we do feel a bit sorry for Dida. Two years earlier he had been hit on the head with a flare during the Milan derby in the Champions League quarter-final, suffering first degree burns on his shoulder. He’s also been rubbish since, which, combined with various injuries, has seen his time on the pitch limited. We reckon he needs to hook himself up with an Ari Gold type, and the Hollywood roles will come flooding in.

Have a chuckle at the Brazilian’s close shave below and check out what else happened today here. We’ll be back for some more tomorrow folks, so don’t go changing.

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