Emmanuel Olisadebe Euro 2012 auction night – in pictures

Auction long shot

IN MAY this year 14 intrepid souls gathered in a south London pub ahead of Euro 2012 to take part in a fantasy football auction.

With a budget of £100m, each manager had to buy 11 internationals who they thought would perform the best over three weeks in Poland and Ukraine.

The manager of the team with the most points at the end would claim the prestigious Emmanuel Olisadebe European Cup, collecting a cash prize and the coveted, replica, unofficial Emmanuel Olisadebe Poland shirt.

A bid flies in

The Chairman leads proceedings

Over four hours, exclusively broadcast live on Twitter, participants had to pick their team in a 4-4-2 formation which could not contain more than one player from each country.

Failure to adhere to these rules would lead to the dreaded Titus Bramble ruling – the illegal player is removed and replaced with a forfeit player.

Olisadebe auction

The Chairman and Horn of Africa manager

Managers had to overcome the added challenge of  British round culture. The Albert Arms enjoyed a brisk trade.

"Emmanuel!"

"Emmanuel!"

The auction became the most controversial in eight years with one manager threatening to resign half way through the evening and another found to be engaged in the heinous act of ‘tactical Brambling’ – deliberately buying an illegal player to give himself a financial advantage late on in proceedings.

The Eurosceptics manager went on to win the tournament after a thrilling final night in Kiev.

Olisadebe auctionOlisadebe auctionOlisadebe auctionOlisadebe auction

Olisadebe auction

Ahead of the English Premier League season, beginning next month, managers will convene to take part in the traditional Kenna auction at another London pub.

The auction is due to be tweeted live @jeffkennaleague.

All photos were kindly taken by World of Tim 2.

Share Button

Live auction tonight at 7pm: the 16 teams competing

Olisadebe signing
Phoenix from the flames: Kenna HQ recreate the moment Emmanuel Olisadebe is declared eligible to represent the country after the Polish FA rush through his immigration paperwork at breakneck speed

THE WAITING is over and the day has come for 16 intrepid managers to take part in the very first fantasy football auction to be broadcast live on Twitter.

At 7pm tonight, in a pub not far from Elephant & Castle tube station in south London, the first player will be introduced to the bidding for the 2012 Emmanuel Olisadebe European Cup.

From there the auction will roll on until every team contains a goalkeeper, four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers – each of the 11 players hailing from a different nation.

Every manager will be hoping for glory and planning to avoid ignominy.

“The Olisabdebe promises to be the best auction yet. When a group of gentlemen met for the first ever auction seven years ago, none of them ever thought it would reach these heights. I wish every manager the best of luck,” said the Chairman.

Follow the auction live on Twitter @jeffkennaleague or #eurosauction on Tuesday 29 May from 7pm (BST).

The 16 managers competing for glory

A brief profile of each competitor can be found below, as well as the teams that failed to qualify and the final standings from the 2010 Doctor Khumalo World Cup.

1. Make Party (Eng) – Having won in South Africa two years ago at the helm of Nelson’s Column, the Make Party manager has the pedigree of international success. Claims this season’s rocky domestic form with Vasco De Beauvoir was down to it being a transitional year.

2. Chernobyl Forlov (Eng) – Came a very close second in 2010 managing South Afrikaans are Rasc1st Santander, and still in the Zurich appeal courts after the Fifa Technical Committee awarded every goal of the tournament to Nelson’s Column midfielder Wesley Sneijder. Will be looking to get one over Make Party. Disappointing in the league this season managing Hairy Fadjeetas.

3. Aston Birra (Cat) – Took a sabbatical from the domestic game this year to keep fresh for the summer. Hoping to better his run out in the Khumalo where his team Nottingham Miedo came a respectable third.

4. Just Put Warsaw (Cat) – Another Catalan doing well in 2010, come fourth with Where’s MaraVilla? Preparations marred by stuttering league campaign with Just Put Carles and Catalan public spat.

5. Bwing on the Euwos (Wal) – A consistent performer at domestic level, with one league title to his name managing Young Boys, the Welshman is yet to win silverware at international level. Mid-table finish at the helm of Paul Gadd’s U16s in 2010.

6. Utoya Island XI (Wal) – A mid-table manager at every level. Got the best of our Robin van Persie in the league at Judean Peoples’ Front this season. Resemblance to Anders Breivik unhelpful.

7. Just FEMEN (Sco) – Disastrous league campaign this season led to her sacking from Polonia Forsyth. Led Anyone But England in disappointing 2010 tournament. Needs to pull her kni… socks up.

8. Welease Wio! (Eng) – Also sacked earlier this month for leading The Dan Terry Seduction to relegation. Provided one of the comedy highlights of the 2010 auction by introducing Scott Chipperfield to the bidding. Probably reading up on useful fly halves, hurdlers and wicketkeeper-batsmen, if reading up at all.

9. The Horn of Africa (Som) – Growing tired of major tournaments hosted by countries with rac1st tendencies. Hopes to better his 2010 performance at the helm of RIP MJ. Impressive domestic season with Spartak Mogadishu.

10. Hoodyanika Bolokov (Eng) – Won the Claudio Caniggia 2006 World Cup, although its validity recently brought into question. Calamitous beginnings to 2010 when he bought an injured Samir Nasri at auction. Pikey Scum team finished mid-table this season.

11. Everybody Gdansk Now (Eng) – After seven years still looking for a trophy at any level. Led Newington Reds to third place in the league this season.

The following managers are all making their international debut

12. Testiculadewland (Eng) – Was so successful in his debut campaign with FC Testiculadew that an official league inquiry was launched two months before the end of the season. Can he become the second ever manager to win the triple?

13. Bunga Bunga Euro Tour (Eng) – Domestic cup runner up this season in charge of Headless Chickens.

14. Every Pole’s a Goal (Wal) – Mid-table domestic finish with Bala Rinas.

15. Doing the Poznan (Eng) – Mid-table domestic finish with Lurliners.

16. The Eurosceptics (Eng) – Mid-table domestic finish with Dynamo Charlton.

The following teams failed to qualify for the tournament, in most cases for legal reasons:

  • Dnieper’s Creepers
  • Tatry Sauce
  • The Don
  • Azov Now
  • Right in the Donets
  • S3x Slavs
  • It’s Bloody Baltic
  • Soviet Terror Balls
  • Black Sea Monsters
  • The Cleaners from Work
  • Lebensraum
  • Do you mind if I Katyń?
  • Do you mind if I Krakow?
  • Lech Kaczyński’s Flying Circus
  • Concentration Champs
  • Kill Howard Webb

2010 Doctor Khumalo World Cup – final standings

2010 Khumalo World Cup - final standings

dfkdj

kdjfd

Share Button