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Football’s best April Fools’ Day pranks

By on April 1, 2015

One either loves or hates April Fools’ Day, mostly depending on which side of the joke you are typically on. Then, football made the day enjoyable again by introducing fools into the football community, sparking a trend so popular it has become its own subgenre. We sum up football’s best April Fools’ Day jokes of 2015:

Capital One Cup to introduce “selfie hotspots” for celebrations
The Mirror struck just the right balance between far-fetched and realistic pranks — selfie hotspots, where players can take selfies after scoring. The tagline all but gives away the joke, claiming that players will be booked for photobombing, but remains a lighthearted laugh.

One League One manager raged: “If I lose a player through suspension because he has picked up five bookings, and one of them is for appearing in somebody else’s selfie, the game’s gone mad.”

Doncaster Rovers to adopt tradition before Friday’s Yorkshire Battle
League One side Doncaster Rovers tried too hard…way, way too hard. Ahead of their Yorkshire derby with Bradford City, the Rovers ran a prank on their website boasting the adoption of a new tradition: you guessed it, stuffing Yorkshire pudding down the players’ and staffers’ pants. The joke is so bad it’s actually kind of funny.

Charlton and AD Alcorcon form kit partnership
In the commercialized world of football, this prank from Championship side Charlton Athletic isn’t all that inconceivable — the club claimed to be jointly sharing a kit with Spanish Segunda Division outfit AD Alcorcon. Heck, it’s actually a good idea.

Football Manager introducing Motion Capture sideline-gestures into game
Come on, admit it: you make gestures when playing football manager. Fist pumps, the like, and even the occasional knee-slide. Football Manager has been capturing the minds of millions simulating football management over the years, struck the right chord when claiming motion capturing technology will make your sideline gestures actually affect your team. It’s not that far-fetched of an idea but strikes the right balance between to spread a laugh or two.

Gillette sponsor Premier League vanishing spray
The Mirror has officially won April Fools day with another joke, this time claiming that Gillette will provide the Premier League with a lucrative sponsorship of vanishing spray.

A Gillette spokesperson said: ”Our Gillette Fusion Proglide Sensitive 2in1 Shave Foam will provide a more durable method of keeping walls in check and will leave the grass feeling smooth and soft.”

Arsenal and Chelsea join forces with “half-half” Ashley Cole statue
Inspired by the “half and half” scarf, The London Evening Standard joked that Chelsea and Arsenal will join forces in commissioning a statue of Ashley Cole wearing half an Arsenal kit and half a Chelsea kit, exactly halfway between Stamford Bridge and the Emirates in Regent’s Park. Although it is hampered slightly by an unconvincing photoshop job, the joke certainly beats the outlets which repeatedly beat the dead horse joke of Usain Bolt joining Manchester United.

Manchester City prank supporters with poor referee
Manchester City set up a match between the Manchester City Supporters Football Club and their staffers (who were in on the joke), only with a cruel twist: City’s kitman was disguised as the referee and made a multitude of horrendous decisions. It makes for a laugh, but would perhaps have been a bit less painful to watch had they not pranked their own supporters — everybody, after all, hates being on the wrong end of the referee’s stick.

Puma and Arsenal pilot new “left-footed football”
The Independent report that Arsenal and PUMA have designed a football specifically for left-footed players, that will “increase the accuracy, power and precision of a left-footed player”.

Homepage photo credit: Thomas Rodenbucher on Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.