 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chris Tate from the News of the World hands over the ball to Sally Hawley |
 |
| The infamous beach ball. |
|
|
 |
 |
Beachy ball bounces into National Football Museum!
The controversial beach ball which landed on the pitch during the Liverpool v Sunderland match on 17 October 2009 has bounced into the National Football Museum, courtesy of the News of the World and Sunderland fan Kevin Barlow.
The ball which was thrown on to the pitch by a Liverpool fan helped Sunderland score when Darren Bent's shot deflected off the ball and into the goal. Despite protests from the Liverpool camp, referee Mike Jones deemed the goal legal - even though the laws of the game suggest he should have awarded a dropped ball.
After the match the News of the World won a fierce bidding war to buy the red beach ball. Before landing at the museum, the ball went on a tour of Anfield, the sights of Liverpool, Blackpool, Soccer AM, Wembley, Downing Street and the home of the News of the World in Wapping. It was then auctioned on eBay in aid of Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and Kevin Barlow was the lucky Sunderland fan who won. He commented 'My wife and I are very excited that this important piece of football history is going to be put on display at the National Football Museum’.
Collections Officer Sally Hawley said 'We are delighted to be able to display this newly famous object here at the National Football Museum. This is an important object in recent footballing history because it means lots of different things to different people. While it’s a fun thing for many it has also created discussions over the rules of the game'.
Image courtesy of the News of the World
The ball will be on display at the museum in the near future - for more information on the Alder Hey IMAGINE appeal go to www.imagineappeal.com