The Hindu : Sport / World View : Big bids for Beckham's 'penalty' ball

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Sport

Sport - World View

Big bids for Beckham's 'penalty' ball

MADRID: David Beckham's fluffed penalty kick in the shoot-out of the Euro 2004 quarterfinal against Portugal was costly for England. But the ball the soccer star blazed into the stands on June 24 is proving even costlier. It has attracted a bid of 10 million ($12.4 million) on an internet auction site and promises to make a multimillionaire of the Spaniard who claimed it as it sailed through the air.

Pablo Carral, who was sitting high in Lisbon's Luz stadium, was soon made aware that he had not just acquired a souvenir when he received an offer of 18,000 ($22,271) from a British newspaper. Corral, 25, then decided to test the water by offering the ball for sale on the Spanish site of internet auctioneers eBay (www.es.ebay.com).

Starting at one euro ($1.24), bids for the Thailand-made ball, which bears the date and venue of the game, have soared as high as Beckham's misjudged shot that led to England's elimination from the tournament.

``The incredible thing was that the ball reached our row because we were sitting a long way from the goal,'' Corral was quoted by sports daily As.

``To leave the stadium, I was guarded by two friends whilst I hid it in my clothes.''

Corral must wait until July 22 when the auction closes to claim his windfall. ebay's conditions state that bids can only be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances.

— AP

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