A pine marten weaseled its way onto the soccer field during a Swiss league game and bit a player’s finger.
The mustelid — which looks like a ferret — would normally be found in well-wooded areas, but managed to get into FC Thun’s stadium during a match against Zurich.
Displaying the agility it usually reserves for racing along treetops and chasing squirrels, the marten managed to evade the attentions of both sets of players and scamper around the pitch, causing play to temporarily stop.
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Zurich defender Loris Benito ill-advisedly grabbed the weasel-like creature – which then bit him.
Goalkeeper David da Costa — wearing gloves — eventually managed to scoop up the elusive animal and handed it over to stewards, allowing the match to continue. Zurich won 4-0.
“In hindsight, I was probably a little foolish,” Benito told Swiss television at half time, as Reuters reports. “You don’t know what sort of disease it might be carrying. It was painful.”
Zurich soccer player Loris Benito tries to catch a marten during the Swiss Super League match between FC Thun and FC Zurich in the stadium in Thun, Switzerland, Mar. 10, 2013.
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A pine marten weaseled its way onto the soccer field during a Swiss league game and bit a player’s finger.
The mustelid — which looks like a ferret — would normally be found in well-wooded areas, but managed to get into FC Thun’s stadium during a match against Zurich.
Displaying the agility it usually reserves for racing along treetops and chasing squirrels, the marten managed to evade the attentions of both sets of players and scamper around the pitch, causing play to temporarily stop.
(MORE: A Q&A With Neymar, Brazil’s Stay-At-Home Soccer Superstar)
Zurich defender Loris Benito ill-advisedly grabbed the weasel-like creature – which then bit him.
Goalkeeper David da Costa — wearing gloves — eventually managed to scoop up the elusive animal and handed it over to stewards, allowing the match to continue. Zurich won 4-0.
“In hindsight, I was probably a little foolish,” Benito told Swiss television at half time, as Reuters reports. “You don’t know what sort of disease it might be carrying. It was painful.”
Zurich soccer player Loris Benito tries to catch a marten during the Swiss Super League match between FC Thun and FC Zurich in the stadium in Thun, Switzerland, Mar. 10, 2013.
MORE: How Gareth Bale and Ryan Giggs Are Having a Soccer Season to Remember