“Whose dog is this, and how did it get here?”
Those are questions few are bothering to ask in Argentinian and international soccer circles, following a bizarrely cute incident last weekend.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw between host Belgrano and visiting Quilmes in Argentina’s Primera Division (first division) was interrupted shortly before halftime when a dog waltzed onto the field of play and approached one of the players.
Quilmes midfielder Sebastian Romero pet the dog and rubbed its belly. Romero’s fellow midfielder Jonathan Zacaria then picked up the dog and carried it off the field, while unimpressed defender Joel Carli yelled at him for … we’re not sure what.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMUHagtC0nI&w=640&h=360]
Credit Zacaria for handling Saturday’s dog better than Jose Jimenez did back in a similar situation back in June 2013.
When a dog interrupted a game in Argentina’s fourth division, Jimenez grabbed it by the neck and threw it against a fence. Outraged opponents tried to fight Jimenez, fans threw beer at him and the referee dismissed sent him off. If that wasn’t enough, Jimenez’s team, CS Bella Vista, cut him two days later.
It looks like a case of “lesson learned” in Argentina.
