Soccer club mistakenly mourns 'death' of player
Call of condolences finds man was alive and well at age 86
 | Slide show |
 | Life of Becks Top images of the life on and off the soccer field for England superstar David Beckham. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | Week in Sports Pictures The Saints triumph in the Super Bowl, Olympians work on final preparations for Vancouver, and more. more photos |
LONDON - An English amateur soccer team mourning the death of one of its greatest players discovered an important error in the tributes by the club and local press to the 86-year-old man — he's still alive.
Tommy Farrer had the rare distinction of reading his own obituary as a former "legend" with northern amateur side Bishop Auckland FC.
The mistake came to light when an official of the club, which held a solemn minute of silence before a match last week, called Farrer's wife to offer condolences.
A surprised Gladys Farrer said her husband had indeed departed — but only for a few minutes to buy a newspaper and would be back soon if the official wanted to talk to him.
Farrer, a former England amateur who played in three Wembley finals, said in Friday editions of the Northern Echo: "We are not upset, but we did think it was a bit of a joke at first."
Farrer said he wants to play down the mistake, saying it was time to "let it die."
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM SOCCER |
 Soccer Section Front |
| Add Soccer headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links