04/24/24
August 01, 2007
Sumo Yokozuna Suspended for Playing Soccer: For the first time in the sport's 2,000-year history, a sumo grand champion has been banned from a tournament. While on leave from official duties due to elbow and back injuries, yokozuna Asashoryu played a charity soccer match back home in Mongolia and video footage showed up on Japanese television. "Dressed in a tight-fitting 'Rooney' England T-shirt, he showed no sign of discomfort as he skipped tackles, made diving headers and scored off a pass," the Guardian reports.
Not only are his injuries suspect, but he was clearly offside at least twice. Never could stand a cherrypicker, but at least in Mongolia they don't always make the fat kid play fullback!
posted by tahoemoj at 11:57 AM on August 01, 2007
If they are counting him falling over after heading the ball as a "diving header," then that gives new meaning to the term as I've come to know it. Dude moves pretty good for a big fella.
posted by holden at 12:12 PM on August 01, 2007
For a sumo wrestler he's pretty small -- 326 pounds -- and is 6' 0". Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishiki all were over their 500 pounds. Anyone know a U.S. channel that airs the bashos or basho results? I used to watch on Today's Japan, a show that aired on PBS channels in the early '90s, and you could follow the tournaments pretty well as they were going on.
posted by rcade at 12:20 PM on August 01, 2007
he's pretty small -- 326 pounds Friggin' panty waist. That little pea should feel bad for skippin' out on his official sumo wrestling duties to go and play futbol. For free, no less! And he'd better start eatin' some hog skins before he whithers away to nothin'. This is a sporting outrage of the highest order!
posted by THX-1138 at 02:11 PM on August 01, 2007
the pair wrestled naked in the communal bath. Given the context of the article, that line has given me a worse mental image than anything else I've ever read here on the 'Filter, and that's saying a lot. Good thing he was "skipping tackles," though. If there's one futbol player in the world you don't want to go low on, it's him.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:37 PM on August 01, 2007
Not sure of his age, but with skills like that he'd get a run with our over 35s team.
posted by owlhouse at 06:08 PM on August 01, 2007
He's 26.
posted by tommybiden at 06:41 PM on August 01, 2007
Then, he warrants a run out with Derby County. (I keed, I keed.) In other news, when Asashoryu was questioned about his apparent dishonesty, the okozuna replied, "That's a mistaken perception of the situation. Asashoryu see it that way." (Sometimes, I amuse myself.)
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:01 PM on August 02, 2007
How were they able to ascertain that the short fat bastard in the England shirt was not in fact young Wayne? Also, in pre-season news, Crewe Alexandra 2 Derby County 0. Class has a tendency to show through.
posted by Abiezer at 03:23 AM on August 04, 2007
Guys, guys, lay off a little :-). It's going to be a long season. Plenty more opportunities.
posted by owlhouse at 07:42 AM on August 04, 2007
More opportunities for what? For Derby to lose 2-0 to lower division teams?
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:28 PM on August 08, 2007
Sumo soccer! Ichiban!