We’ve seen some odd interactions between soccer players and officials over the years, and what Franck Ribery pulled Saturday is up there. With Ribery’s Bayern Munich up 4-0 on Chemnitzer FC in the 86th minute of a first-round DFB Cup tie, they were awarded a free kick just outside of the opposing box, and Ribery prepared to take it by untying referee Bibiana Steinhaus’ shoe:
Steinhaus caught Ribery in the act and then laughed about it with him, and he went on to score on the free kick, so clearly this wasn’t too significant of a distraction. And Bayern went on to win 5-0. But it’s still pretty unusual to see. And not all officials may take kindly to this.
