OGC Nice eagle Mefi soaked by sprinkler before Roma game

Pre-match mishap at the Allianz Riviera

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. Ahead of Nice’s Europa League clash with AS Roma on Thursday, Mefi swooped down towards her trainer as he prepared to hand her a treat when a pitch sprinkler suddenly roared to life at full blast.

Both the bird and the trainer were soaked, with the jets firing so forcefully that the trainer scrambled 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 soaking and continued her routine with poise.

Nice’s eagle, Mèfi, got blasted by the pitch sprinkler pre-game 😭 pic.twitter.com/Ui3b1BHGcq

Match outcome

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. The match was watched on by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe — whose INEOS group also owns Manchester United.

Source: Original report