Back to the Top News Newsfeed

Goalie Eats Pie and Loses His Job, While Bettors’ Wallets Fatten

An English soccer player who enjoyed a meat pie on the sideline during a game was forced to resign from his team on Tuesday after his meal spurred a formal investigation into gambling. The strange tale involves a Cinderella team, a bookmaker eager for publicity and, most important, a portly, middle-aged goalkeeper with a taste for meat and potatoes.

When Sutton United, a small team from the fifth tier of English soccer, met mighty Arsenal in an F.A. Cup quarterfinal on Monday, there was naturally a lot of attention on the game from all over. One of the Sutton players who was singled out for pregame press was Wayne Shaw, as much for his girth as for his talent.