NEW DELHI: One of the strangest moments in football history occurred in 2002 during a match in Madagascar’s national league, where Stade Olympique de L’Emyrne (SOE) deliberately scored 149 own goals against their opponents, AS Adema.
The final score, 149-0, remains a world record for the highest-scoring football match, but the reasons behind it are as bizarre as the result.
The match was not an ordinary contest. Instead, it was a protest by SOE against what they saw as unfair officiating in a previous match.
SOE had been in a tight title race with AS Adema, but a controversial refereeing decision in a prior game eliminated them from contention for the championship.
Feeling aggrieved and powerless to reverse the decision, SOE’s players took matters into their own hands in their next match.
From the very first whistle, SOE’s players began intentionally kicking the ball into their own net, over and over again.
AS Adema’s players and the fans watched in bewilderment as the score kept climbing without AS Adema having to touch the ball. By the end of the match, SOE had registered an unprecedented 149 own goals.
While AS Adema technically won the game and the championship, the bizarre protest overshadowed the result.
The Madagascan Football Federation reacted swiftly, handing out severe punishments. SOE’s coach, Zaka Be, was banned for three years, while four SOE players, including their captain, were suspended for the remainder of the season.
The protest was widely criticized as unsportsmanlike, but it also highlighted the deep frustrations that can arise from perceived injustices in football.
Fans and players alike were stunned by this form of rebellion, and the match has since become an infamous part of football lore.
To this day, the 149 own-goal match remains one of football’s most bizarre and unforgettable events.
The final score, 149-0, remains a world record for the highest-scoring football match, but the reasons behind it are as bizarre as the result.
The match was not an ordinary contest. Instead, it was a protest by SOE against what they saw as unfair officiating in a previous match.
SOE had been in a tight title race with AS Adema, but a controversial refereeing decision in a prior game eliminated them from contention for the championship.
Feeling aggrieved and powerless to reverse the decision, SOE’s players took matters into their own hands in their next match.
From the very first whistle, SOE’s players began intentionally kicking the ball into their own net, over and over again.
AS Adema’s players and the fans watched in bewilderment as the score kept climbing without AS Adema having to touch the ball. By the end of the match, SOE had registered an unprecedented 149 own goals.
While AS Adema technically won the game and the championship, the bizarre protest overshadowed the result.
The Madagascan Football Federation reacted swiftly, handing out severe punishments. SOE’s coach, Zaka Be, was banned for three years, while four SOE players, including their captain, were suspended for the remainder of the season.
The protest was widely criticized as unsportsmanlike, but it also highlighted the deep frustrations that can arise from perceived injustices in football.
Fans and players alike were stunned by this form of rebellion, and the match has since become an infamous part of football lore.
To this day, the 149 own-goal match remains one of football’s most bizarre and unforgettable events.
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