Post by Macmoish on Jul 13, 2010 7:04:15 GMT
Independent By Oliver Duff
Match-predicting octopus retires
England’s second great World Cup success is to retire at the top of his game. Paul the Octopus, a common octopus who was born in Weymouth but now lives at the Oberhausen aquarium in western Germany, will not forecast any more football results, his keepers said, after the eight-legged oracle correctly chose the winners of eight games at the World Cup, including the victors of Sunday night’s final, Spain.
The celebrity cephalopod’s predictions have been broadcast live around the world during the tournament: before each game, aquarium staff offered Paul two clear boxes containing a mussel, each with a flag painted on the lid. Whichever one he opened was declared his prediction.
He received death threats from fans of losing teams, who said they would turn him into paella – leading to an offer of asylum from the Spanish prime minister, Jose Zapatero.
“He won't give any more oracle predictions – either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy," said a spokesman for the aquarium. "He has nine brains - one in his body and one in each of his tentacles - so he likes to play games and have challenges."
Rather than the traditional carriage clock, he was presented with a retirement gift of a gold replica World Cup trophy and three mussels.
Paul is two-and-a-half years old and is not expected to survive to see the 2012 European Championships.
The Mirror
Paul the psychic World Cup octopus 'is a fraud'
World Cup octopus Paul has been accused of having a slippery past after his trainer said he is Italian not British and is younger than his aquarium have claimed.
The tentacled oracle correctly tipped Spain as the winners and had a stunning winning streak of picking eight successive correct results at odds of 300-1.
His official biography says he was born in Weymouth, Dorset, three years ago and moved to his tank at the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen, western Germany.
But Paul’s trainer Verena Bartsch claimed she caught him off the Italian island of Elba in April.
She said: “I caught him with my bare hands. He was only a few weeks old.”
Miss Bartsch added that she had taken Paul first to a sea life centre in the German town of Coburg before moving him to his current home. It was not clear why she had waited so long before speaking out.
Her claims also raise the possibility that a different octopus predicted the Euro 2008 results, when Paul was said to have had an 80% success rate at the start of his career.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica said: “Octopus gets it right again but his real name is Paolo.”
Italian opposition MP Andrea Sarubbi said: “I have just read the shocking news that the famous predicting octopus Paul is not English as was believed but in fact from Italy.
“I have written to the director of the German Sea Life centre and asked that he be repatriated as soon as possible because never has our country ever needed someone to make clear and decisive judgements such as now.”
The so-called psychic octopus became the star of the World Cup after he accurately predicted eight out of eight games, including the final which saw Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0.
He makes his choice from two boxes, each containing a mussel and the flag of the two competing teams.
The Sea Life centre’s spokeswoman Tanja Munzig did not comment on the claims yesterday - but said Paul was to end his career as a mystic.
She told AP Television news that he was to “go into retirement and do what he likes to do best: play with his handlers and delight children who visit him”.
Argentine TV viewers were horrified when a commentator liquefied a live octopus on TV in revenge for Germany’s soothsayer Paul calling the right results in the World Cup.
Host Roberto Pettinato said: “Your moment has arrived, little Nazi octopus.”
Read more: www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html#ixzz0tXlPNu00
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Read more: www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html#ixzz0tXlIW0az
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www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html
Match-predicting octopus retires
England’s second great World Cup success is to retire at the top of his game. Paul the Octopus, a common octopus who was born in Weymouth but now lives at the Oberhausen aquarium in western Germany, will not forecast any more football results, his keepers said, after the eight-legged oracle correctly chose the winners of eight games at the World Cup, including the victors of Sunday night’s final, Spain.
The celebrity cephalopod’s predictions have been broadcast live around the world during the tournament: before each game, aquarium staff offered Paul two clear boxes containing a mussel, each with a flag painted on the lid. Whichever one he opened was declared his prediction.
He received death threats from fans of losing teams, who said they would turn him into paella – leading to an offer of asylum from the Spanish prime minister, Jose Zapatero.
“He won't give any more oracle predictions – either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy," said a spokesman for the aquarium. "He has nine brains - one in his body and one in each of his tentacles - so he likes to play games and have challenges."
Rather than the traditional carriage clock, he was presented with a retirement gift of a gold replica World Cup trophy and three mussels.
Paul is two-and-a-half years old and is not expected to survive to see the 2012 European Championships.
The Mirror
Paul the psychic World Cup octopus 'is a fraud'
World Cup octopus Paul has been accused of having a slippery past after his trainer said he is Italian not British and is younger than his aquarium have claimed.
The tentacled oracle correctly tipped Spain as the winners and had a stunning winning streak of picking eight successive correct results at odds of 300-1.
His official biography says he was born in Weymouth, Dorset, three years ago and moved to his tank at the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen, western Germany.
But Paul’s trainer Verena Bartsch claimed she caught him off the Italian island of Elba in April.
She said: “I caught him with my bare hands. He was only a few weeks old.”
Miss Bartsch added that she had taken Paul first to a sea life centre in the German town of Coburg before moving him to his current home. It was not clear why she had waited so long before speaking out.
Her claims also raise the possibility that a different octopus predicted the Euro 2008 results, when Paul was said to have had an 80% success rate at the start of his career.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica said: “Octopus gets it right again but his real name is Paolo.”
Italian opposition MP Andrea Sarubbi said: “I have just read the shocking news that the famous predicting octopus Paul is not English as was believed but in fact from Italy.
“I have written to the director of the German Sea Life centre and asked that he be repatriated as soon as possible because never has our country ever needed someone to make clear and decisive judgements such as now.”
The so-called psychic octopus became the star of the World Cup after he accurately predicted eight out of eight games, including the final which saw Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0.
He makes his choice from two boxes, each containing a mussel and the flag of the two competing teams.
The Sea Life centre’s spokeswoman Tanja Munzig did not comment on the claims yesterday - but said Paul was to end his career as a mystic.
She told AP Television news that he was to “go into retirement and do what he likes to do best: play with his handlers and delight children who visit him”.
Argentine TV viewers were horrified when a commentator liquefied a live octopus on TV in revenge for Germany’s soothsayer Paul calling the right results in the World Cup.
Host Roberto Pettinato said: “Your moment has arrived, little Nazi octopus.”
Read more: www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html#ixzz0tXlPNu00
Sign up for MirrorFootball's Morning Spy newsletter Register here
Read more: www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html#ixzz0tXlIW0az
Sign up for MirrorFootball's Morning Spy newsletter Register here
www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Paul-the-psychic-World-Cup-octopus-who-predicted-results-is-a-fraud-article525989.html
