The pre-match coin-toss in football matches should be as simple as it comes.
One captain calls heads or tails, the referee flips the coin, and either it lands on the side they called or the side they didn’t.
Sure, occasionally a flipped coin will land on its side, but that almost never happens. Especially in an international football match with the world watching. And especially on grass.
We certainly can’t remember it ever happening, not even in Sunday league games. But now we have video evidence of just that occurrence, on almost the biggest stage of them all.
Colombia and Paraguay met in the group stages of the Copa América Centenario in Pasadena, with James Rodriguez and Justo Villar taking part in the pre-match formalities.
At least they were supposed to be formalities.
We’re not sure whether referee Heber Lopes is trained in the dark arts, but that would certainly explain the one in a million shot (we assume – we haven’t done the maths)Â coming in.
Villar didn’t seem to mind, just laughing his head off, while James – who scored the crucial second goal in Colombia’s 2-1 win – might see it as a lucky charm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTW0sQlxHt8
