It's a headline you don't expect to type seriously in your lifetime, but one team has ensured this most Father Ted of scenarios has come to be realised.
Shakhter Karagandy's manager has told the press he fully expects his club's pre-match sheep-sacrificing tradition to continue as they head to Glasgow to face Celtic tomorrow night. You read that right.
The pair faced off last week in their first leg Champions League qualifier, with Celtic losing the game by two goals to nil. However, the day before the game Shakhter drew the almighty wrath of PETA by killing a sheep in their stadium, continuing a long-standing tradition at the club. PETA responded in the most diabolical of manners by writing a "strongly worded" letter to UEFA.
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At their pre-match press conference today in Celtic Park, Shakhter manager Viktor Kumykov defended the controversial decision, and expressed his desire to maybe sacrifice a local sheep.
"All I can say is that every team and every club has its own pre-match traditions and rituals. Celtic must have their own. We will try to respect our traditions and those traditions have been in place even before we came to the club."
Asked if the ritual would take place, he replied, "Possibly, yes." Then, when asked where he planned to get the sheep, Kumykov, to laughter, replied: "As far as we know in Scotland the agriculture is very developed so it shouldn't be an issue to find a sheep." [The Guardian]
