Everyone loves an animal pitch invader and last weekend’s Swiss Super League match between FC Zurich and FC Thun was brightened up by the presence of a pine marten on the field of play.
A pine marten with a penchant for the Benny Hill theme tune.
The cheeky chap ran rings around the players and stewards before leaving the pitch for a breather. He soon returned, prompting Zurich’s Loris Benito to make an athletic capture.
But Benito was rewarded for his efforts with a painful bit to the finger. Not only did he have to suffer a bloodied finger, but also the annoyance of watching the marten return to pitch later in the match.
This time the animal was caught by the goalkeeper who, aided by his gloves, managed to escape injury and ensure that the marten left the match for good.
After the game, Benito said: “In hindsight, it was obviously foolish of me [to catch the pine marten]. Who knows what diseases the animal had. But I wanted to play the match and now I simply trust my immune system.”
