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OGC Nice’s famous mascot and eagle trainer blew up with a sprinkler

There are several mascots in world football that are instantly recognizable Meffy – the OGC Nice eagle, which displays the club crest and takes a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before kick-off.

The spectacle was again on display in front of Nice League of Europe clash with AS Roma on Thursday, but what should have been a show of strength and pride quickly turned into a much more comical scene.

As Mephie rushed down to her trainer, who was preparing to hand her a treat, one of the resin sprayers suddenly came to full blast. Both the bird and the trainer were instantly drenched, the jets shooting with such force that the trainer struggled to pull out his wet in-ear headphones.


Jean-Philippe Roman, Mephi

Poor Meffy. | Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages


He looked completely taken aback for a split second before breaking into a smile and giving the crowd an encouraging thumbs up. Remarkably, Mephi herself seemed unfazed by the sudden drenching, continuing her routine with poise – although it’s safe to assume the eagle didn’t like the ill-timed shower.

The mishap provided plenty of laughs, but it was a down night for Frank Hayes’ side. Nice lost 2-1 to Roma, watched on by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose INEOS Group also owns Manchester United.

Just as Mefi’s pre-match plan went awry, so did Nice’s plan, leaving the home fans seething with disappointment rather than celebration.


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