Sutton United have promised that reserve goalkeeper Wayne Shaw will be brought “back down to earth” after he enjoyed five minutes of fame by eating a pie on the substitutes’ bench during Monday night’s (Tuesday AEDT) glamour FA Cup tie against Arsenal.
The 46-year-old, known as the ‘roly-poly goalie’, pulled off the publicity stunt on behalf of a bookmaking company after all three substitutions had been made, but the actions of the 127kg Shaw did not seem to impress the club’s hierarchy.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live radio, chairman Bruce Elliott said: “If you knew the roly poly goalkeeper you probably wouldn’t be very surprised. But Wayne is a top man.
“I didn’t know anything about it. He has got himself in the papers again and the fame obviously has gone to his head a little bit, but we will soon bring him back down to earth, don’t worry about that.”
A bookmaker had offered a price of 8-1 to Shaw eating a pie “live on air” during the match, but Shaw denied that he or any of his teammates had placed a bet.
Speaking to the Independent, Shaw said: “A few of the lads said to me earlier on, ‘What is going on with the 8-1 about eating a pie?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve eaten nothing all day, so I might give it a go later on’.”
“As I say what is that? Sun Bets had us at 8-1 to eat a pie? I thought I would give them a bit of banter and let’s do it. All the subs were on and we were 2-0 down.”
Manager Paul Doswell, who also employs Shaw as part of his coaching team, said: “Wayne has become a global superstar on the back of being 20st (127kg). He’s made that a chance to get more media coverage off the back of it. It wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t think it shows us in the best light.”
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Probably worth mentioning that Sun Bets, the bookies that offered the 8-1 odds on Shaw eating a pie during the game, sponsored Sutton United for this game too. The players took to the field wearing the News Corp-affiliated online betting agency's logo on their shirts instead of their usual club sponsor, Green Go Waste, a local recycling & waste management company. The FA and the UK's Gambling Commission are both investigating the incident, which has further soured what should have been a great occasion for Sutton, following allegations that fans had been censored on the club's online forums for criticising the one-off sponsorship deal. The Sun is looked upon very unfavourably by many football fans in the UK, following their partisan and inflammatory coverage of the Hillsborough disaster. The decision to have their betting agency sponsor the club has upset many Sutton United supporters.