PETA complain to UEFA after Kazakhstani side sacrifice sheep before Champions League match
Celtic's quest to qualify for the Champions League proper hit a bump in the road on Tuesday when they were defeated by Kazakhstan Premier League champions Shakhter Karagandy in the first leg of their play-off round tie.
Perhaps it was the wearisome 4,000-mile trip from Glasgow that caused the unexpected loss, or maybe it was the intimidating atmosphere created by 20,000 fervent home fans at the Astana Arena. It is also possible they were thrown by the knowledge that the home team had sacrificed a sheep in the stadium before a training session the previous day.
Understandably, news of the ritual slaughter piqued animal rights campaign group PETA, who weren't sheepish (sorry) when they wrote a condemnatory letter to UEFA president Michel Platini. The Guardian reports:
In a letter to Platini, Peta points to Uefa's claim to be "forward-looking" and Platini's own words describing Uefa's "duty to protect the game, the players and our values" and asks him to use his influence to stop any further slaughter in this season's Champions League and Europa League.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/peta-complain-uefa-kazakhstani-side-sacrifice-sheep-champions-171348276.html
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oh well, the Cubs have the Curse of the Billy Goat, now the Bhoys have the Curse of the Kazakh Sheep. 