Paul predicts Shenhua's doom
By Ni Yinbin |
July 15, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE now-world-famous octopus Paul has predicted that Shanghai Shenhua Football Club will not win the Chinese Super League championship this year, the club's owner claimed on his micro blog.
Zhu Jun, major investor in Shenhua FC, said on his twitter-like micro blog on sina.com.cn that he visited the aquarium in Germany this week after the World Cup. He claimed the octopus determined the fate of Shenhua FC for this year's title, only to receive an unwanted outcome.
However, BBC News reported on Monday that Paul is now retired. The report quoted an aquarium spokesperson as saying Paul would not give predictions on soccer, politics, the economy or lifestyle and that the octopus would return to its normal job of making children laugh.
Still, Zhu claimed Paul was given the choice to pick between two bottle caps, printed with the numbers 1 and 0. Winning the championship was represented by the number 1 and failure by the number 0. Paul picked the "0," Zhu said.
But Zhu read a little more into Paul's prediction.
"It picked the blue one," Zhu wrote, indicating that it was a good omen for Shenhua FC as the club's home color is blue.
Zhu even posted a picture of an octopus holding a blue bottle cap, but it was hard to determine whether the octopus was Paul.
Shanghai Daily e-mailed the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, where Paul lives, but did not receive a reply.
Shenhua FC lost to Shaanxi 2-1 yesterday, one day after Zhu released the prediction.
Shenhua FC leads the CSL.
Zhu Jun, major investor in Shenhua FC, said on his twitter-like micro blog on sina.com.cn that he visited the aquarium in Germany this week after the World Cup. He claimed the octopus determined the fate of Shenhua FC for this year's title, only to receive an unwanted outcome.
However, BBC News reported on Monday that Paul is now retired. The report quoted an aquarium spokesperson as saying Paul would not give predictions on soccer, politics, the economy or lifestyle and that the octopus would return to its normal job of making children laugh.
Still, Zhu claimed Paul was given the choice to pick between two bottle caps, printed with the numbers 1 and 0. Winning the championship was represented by the number 1 and failure by the number 0. Paul picked the "0," Zhu said.
But Zhu read a little more into Paul's prediction.
"It picked the blue one," Zhu wrote, indicating that it was a good omen for Shenhua FC as the club's home color is blue.
Zhu even posted a picture of an octopus holding a blue bottle cap, but it was hard to determine whether the octopus was Paul.
Shanghai Daily e-mailed the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, where Paul lives, but did not receive a reply.
Shenhua FC lost to Shaanxi 2-1 yesterday, one day after Zhu released the prediction.
Shenhua FC leads the CSL.
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