World leaders present at the summit interrupted meetings on Saturday to watch the UEFA Champions League final, according to the Guardian.
At one point in the meeting, German chancellor Angela Merkel heard a commotion in another room. She checked her iPad and discovered that the final was being decided by penaty kicks. The famous soccer fan informed U.S. president Barack Obama that she had to go watch it.
Obama, who had soccer on his mind after hosting the L.A. Galaxy at the White House on Tuesday, turned to U.K. prime minister David Cameron and asked why he wasn't leaving to watch it. Cameron, who is reportedly a Chelsea fan, asked "What's the point, we never win."
The world leaders left the room and went to watch the last rounds of the penalty-kick shootout. Chelsea prevailed in the end, much to Cameron's delight and Merkel's (who was supporting Bayern Munich) chagrin.
"It was extremely exciting. It is a privilege of the job to watch a penalty shootout in the presence of the German chancellor and win," Cameron said. "It was very good-natured. There was a short hug afterwards."
Sometimes issues around conflict hot-spots and global economic recovery take a back seat to distractions like these and that's OK. But let's hope Merkel's disappointment doesn't carry into the negotiations over how to resolve the European debt crisis.
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Photo via Flickr/United States Government Work
