The 10 Craziest Pitch Invaders

Saturday's Argentine Primera Division match between Rosario Central and River Plate was rudely interrupted by a canine pitch invader.

The plucky mutt proceeded to do his business on the field before doing a lap of honour to gain plaudits for his work. 

The naughty South American dog leads our list of the 10 most weird and wonderful pitch invaders... 

The Galatasaray Labradors

The naughty Rosario dog isn't the first and won't be the last of his kind to find his way on to the football pitch. 

During a friendly between Galatasaray and 2. Bundesliga side VfR Aalen in Istanbul last January, the adorable-o-meter recorded off-the-chart readings when two Labrador puppies played on the grass. 

The Anfield Cat

Tottenham's visit to Anfield in February 2012 was uneventful until a tabby cat walked on to the pitch—and into all of our hearts. 

Anfield Cat might be the most famous animal pitch invader of all time—he currently has more than 57,000 Twitter followers. 

The Swiss Pine Marten

Dogs and cats are par for the pitch-invading course, but the most bizarre creature to make its way on to the field in recent years was the pine marten that appeared in the Swiss Super League encounter between FC Thun and FC Zurich in March 2013. 

The nimble little weasel utterly refused to be caught, and when Zurich defender Loris Benito finally laid hands on him, he was bitten for his troubles.  

The Tragic Owl

During a February 2011 encounter between Colombian sides Atletico Junior and Deportivo Pereira, an owl mistakenly landed on the field and was dazed when it was hit by the ball. 

Instead of seeing to the bird's welfare, Pereira defender Luis Moreno callously kicked it off the field. It died a few days later, along with Moreno's chances of becoming a PETA member. 

The Venkys Chicken

There was a serious case of fowl play (sorry) during Blackburn's meeting with Wigan in May 2012 when a chicken strode on to the pitch wearing a tiny chicken-sized cape.

The little clucker was released as a protest to Rovers' owners Venkys, the Indian chicken processing magnates. 

The same thing happened again a few months later during a match with Burnley. 

The Red Card-Reaper

Warning: video contains NSFW language and a Borat mankini

Now, for some human pitch invaders. 

When a chap wearing a Borat mankini and wig stormed the field during Havant & Waterloo's clash with Dorchester in March 2011, Dorchester player-manager Ashley Vickers sped up proceedings by tackling the offender to the ground. 

Instead of being congratulated for containing the nuisance, Vickers was shown a red card. "I am dumbfounded," he said afterwards. 

The Man Who Messed with the Wrong Goalkeeper

Another player who reacted violently to a pitch invader was AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado during a 2011 Dutch Cup match with Ajax.

As an invader charged towards him, the 'keeper reacted with a flying kick before dishing out more punishment when he was on the floor.

Alvarado received his marching orders but later had the card rescinded as it was deemed he was "unexpectedly attacked."  

The Free-Scoring Invader

Over to Montenegro now, where FK Buducnost lost their final match of the 2011/12 season to visitors Lovcen.

Regardless, Buducnost were set to be crowned league champions as soon as the final whistle blew, but a few fans couldn't wait to get the pitch invasion started.

One plucky ultra got so excited that he even scored from a free-kick. Shortly after, the referee decided to end the match to let the fans have their moment. 

The Happy Kid

St. Patrick's Athletic sealed the Irish Premier Division title with a 2-0 win over Sligo last October.

When Anthony Flood scored the second goal, he was greeted by a very young fan dancing on the playing surface. He lifted him up as if he was practising for the trophy. 

Jimmy Jump's World Cup Stunt

It would be remiss to have a list about pitch invaders without mentioning the most famous one of all. 

Jaume Marquet i Cot, better known as Jimmy Jump, has run on to the field in many high-profile games. According to a recent interview promoting a film about his efforts, he owes more than €200,000 in fines.

Here he is at the 2010 World Cup Final attempting to put a hat on the trophy but failing when he is tackled by some FIFA goons. 

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