Footage of a ball boy during Saturday’s league match between the women of Manchester City and Aston Villa (5-0) is going viral. At the end of the first half, the boy refused to give the ball he had in his hands to goalkeeper Hannah Hampton of the Villans to give. It led to confusion among the goalkeeper.
It was 0-0 as Hampton tried to fetch the ball from the ball boy for a goal kick. To the astonishment of the goalie, however, the male remained standing with the ball in his hands. Hampton urged the umpire to intervene and insisted on the bat boy. He eventually gave in and handed in the toy to Hampton.
This young ball boy is absolutely taking the mickey ??
Did the mind games work? Man City put five goals past Aston Villa in the second half… ??#OptusSport #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/HDeVIOQzPl
— Optus Sports (@OptusSports) Nov 20, 2021
The images sparked a lot of reactions on the internet. Some thought the ball boy was trying to buy time, but Sky Sportscommentator Jacqui Oatley came up with an explanation for his behavior. The ball boy simply followed the corona measures that apply. According to the rules, the fourth official must bring the ball back into the field, not the ball boy. The male was praised by the commentator for sticking to the measures.
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