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There are few mascots in world football as instantly recognisable as Mefi – the eagle of OGC Nice, who mirrors the club’s crest and performs a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before kick-off.
The spectacle was once again on show ahead of Nice’s Europa League clash with AS Roma on Thursday, but what was supposed to be a display of power and pride quickly turned into a far more comical scene.
As Mefi swooped down towards her trainer, who was preparing to hand her a treat, one of the pitch sprinklers suddenly roared to life at full blast. Both bird and trainer were instantly soaked, the jets firing with such force that the trainer was left scrambling to pull out his drenched in-ear headphones.
For a split second he looked completely taken aback, before breaking into a smile and giving the crowd a reassuring thumbs-up. Remarkably, Mefi herself seemed unbothered by the sudden soaking, continuing her routine with poise – though it’s safe to assume the eagle didn’t enjoy the mistimed shower.
The mishap drew plenty of laughter, but for Franck Haise’s side the night went downhill from there. Nice slipped to a 2-1 defeat against 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 too did Nice’s, leaving the home supporters drenched in disappointment rather than celebration.
Nice's eagle, Mèfi, got blasted by the pitch sprinkler pre-game 😭 pic.twitter.com/Ui3b1BHGcq
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