Spanish PM to protect Paul the octopus
July 9, 2010
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero has joked he will offer state protection to Paul the psychic octopus, as the mollusc prepares to make his final World Cup predictions on Friday.
GettyImagesPaul the psychic octopus should be fearing for his life after his latest correct prediciton
Paul has achieved global fame after correctly predicting the results of all of Germany's games at the tournament in South Africa. In order to harness his powers, his keepers at Sea Life Oberhausen present Paul with the choice of two glass boxes, both containing a mussel but each bearing the flag of a different country.
The odds of Paul correctly predicting Germany's results are 1 in 64 and he proved correct once again when tipping Spain to beat Joachim Low's side in the semi-final, which they duly did thanks to a header from Carles Puyol.
Many German fans were unhappy with Paul's decision to plump for Spain and fearing a backlash, Zapatero has joked he will seek to protect Paul as he delivers his verdict on the third-place play-off and the final itself on Friday.
Zapatero said: "I am concerned for the octopus ... I am thinking of sending him a protective team."
Spanish environment and fisheries minister Elena Espinosa added: "On Monday, I shall be at the European Council of Ministers and I shall be asking for a [fishing] ban on Paul the octopus so the Germans do not eat him."
Paul will make his predictions at 0900 GMT on Friday.
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