World Cup phenom Paul the "psychic" octopus has predicted a Spanish victory in the final against the Netherlands.
Eat your heart out all you Oranje fans. I wouldn't bet a wooden shoe against the Spaniards.
The celebrated eight-legged oracle has so far predicted correctly all six Germany games in this 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
If Spain truly beat Holland at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, it will be the first time in their history to win the top prize in world football after years of underachievements.
On Friday, according to reports from Oberhausen in Germany where Paul resides, he very quickly plumped for Spain by scooping up the morsel in the Spanish box. The octopus 'reality show' was carried live on national German TV.
Earlier, the two-year-old mollusc medium also said that Germany, his country of residence, would defeat Uruguay in the third-place play-off game on Saturday.
In the now familiar routine, two boxes were lowered into his tank, each containing a mussel and the flags of the two opposing teams.
The tentacled tipster went straight to the Spanish box, wrenched open the lid and gobbled the tasty morsel.
Apprehensive observers feel the art of football predicting has become a dangerous job for the English-born clairvoyant cephalopod with some bitter German fans threatening to turn him into sushi after he predicted a semi-final defeat for the German team.
Paul's home, an aquarium in western Germany, has received death-threat emails saying "we want Paul for the pan," said entertainment supervisor Daniel Fey, according to AFP.
"Since yesterday our colleagues have kept a very close eye on Paul," Fey added.
With ominous signs that Paul may end up on a plate, no less an authority than Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero has hinted at octopus bodyguards.
"I am concerned for the octopus ... I am thinking of sending him a protective team," joked Zapatero on Radio Cadena Ser.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Spanish Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian has called for Paul to be given an "immediate" free transfer to Spain to "ensure his protection." Would Real Madrid or Barcelona be interested in signing Paul for next season as a forecaster?
During the semi-final match between Spain and Germany, witnesses reported that some sections of the 350,000-strong crowd watching the game on giant screens sang anti-octopus songs. The honour of Paul's mother was called into question, according to witnesses.
Paul's celebrity status as a World Cup forecaster is expected to be his last because in octopus terms he will become a pensioner at the ripe old age of two-and-a-half. According to cephalopod experts, octopuses generally live three years at the latest. - Mark Kho
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