A victorious celebration is often welcomed especially when the player comes out on top from a tough fight in a game that he/she was about to lose.
A victorious celebration is often welcomed especially when the player comes out on top from a tough fight in a game that he/she was about to lose.
But there are times when it goes completely awry and China’s world and Olympic table tennis champion Zhang Jike might have found it out. The Chinese may face further action after being stripped of USD 45,000 in prize money for damaging advertising hoardings during over enthusiastic victory celebrations at a tournament in Germany.
Jike kicked the advertising hoarding next to the court after winning a close fought game.
With such celebrations coming into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, we highlight some of the best 5 over the top and controversial celebrations that went sour in the world of sports:
England cricket team’s ‘Pee’ antics
After winning the 2013 Ashes series at home, the England players came under severe scrutiny when it was reported that three top England players allegedly urinated on the pitch at the Oval hours after the fifth and final Test. These allegations were brought to light by an Aussie journalist who reported that the ‘celebration’ involved Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson who had all made important contributions to England’s 3-0 success in the series.
Nicholas Anelka’s ‘quenelle gesture’
All was merry for French striker Nicholas Anelka when the former Arsenal and Chelsea forward signed up for West Bromwich Albion last season but it was not a happy ending for the forward. In an EPL game at their home ground ‘The Hawthrons’, Anelka made a ‘quenelle gesture’ which is in regards of hurting religious sentiments (Jews) and is termed as anti-semitic. In regards of the celebration, the club sacked him and was also sentenced to sentenced to a 5-match ban from the English FA as well as FIFA.
Edison Cavani’s ‘sniper celebration’
In the footballing world, each and every footballer lands in hot water and the latest addition to the list was Uruguayan and PSG striker Edinson Cavani. The forward received one of the strangest red cards when it appeared that his ‘sniper’ celebration, in which he pretends to fire a gun after scoring a goal, was not amusing the French referee Nicolas Rainville who believed Cavani was aiming a imaginary gun at the away fans and booked him for the offence. In return, the Uruguayan was baffled by the decision and in the heat of the argument got himself sent off.
Serena Williams does the ‘Crip Walk’
World number one in women’s tennis Serena Williams was so elated after defeating rival Maria Sharapova in the Olympic singles and winning the gold that she broke into a quick jig dance called as the ‘Crip Walk’ dance.
In her post-match press conference, Serena reacted to the celebration stating, “It was just me. I love to dance. I know what else to do. I was so happy and next thing I know I started dancing and moving. I didn’t plan it. It just happened.” But just as USA and Serena were celebrating the gold medal, some critics in the media criticised the ‘dance’. Some American journalists slammed the tennis star’s antics. Fox Sports reporter, Jason Whitlock, said: “What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church… Serena deserved to be called out. What she did was immature and classless. She made a mistake, something we all do.”
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen’s Swearing-in
It was meant to be a celebratory post-speech at the podium but Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen had some other plans when the duo left former F1 driver David Coulthard in a flush. When Coulthard asked for the reactions from Vettel and Kimi, here came some dangling reply. “Not much really. Last time you guys was giving me s*** because I didn’t really smile enough,” said Sebastian Vettel. “It was obviously a chance to f**k it up and we didn’t do that,” the German added in reference to finishing third having been sent to the back of the grid in qualifying.
