Paul the Octopus has taken the World Cup by storm with his psychic predictions which have been uncannily accurate. He is set to predict the outcome of the final today at 11am (CAT) in his 1,500l tank in Oberhausen, Germany.
Although its footballers have long since returned home in disgrace, one English native has become the surprise success story of the World Cup. Paul, an octopus who was born in Dorset, has correctly predicted the result of all six matches involving Germany and now all eyes are on him as he prepares to pick the winner of Sunday’s final. Fans are now placing money on the mystic mollusc himself, rather than the outcome of the big game, while senior politicians have expressed concern about threats to his safety made by supporters of losing teams.
Matthew Fuller, senior aquarist at the Sea Life centre in Weymouth where the soothsaying sea creature was born two and a half years ago, said: “I’m quite amazed at what he’s done. We’re just sorry that he left us.” The common octopus was transferred to Germany when young, where his keepers devised a dinnertime game in which he was offered the choice of two glass boxes containing a mussel. During the Euro 2008 football championships, flags of the competing sides were placed on the containers and it was noted that on almost every occasion, the team that Paul’s tentacle touched first went on to win their match. The trick was repeated at the start of South Africa’s World Cup for Germany’s games, and as the tournament progressed his uncannily accurate predictions were followed ever more closely. Paul guessed the outcome of all Germany’s group games, including their shock loss to lowly Serbia, as well as their defeat of England and Argentina in subsequent rounds. There was national anguish after he picked the container bearing the Spanish flag ahead of Wednesday night’s semi-final, with angry fans calling for him to be “thrown into the shark tank”.
It prompted Spain’s Prime Minister, Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero, to joke on a radio show: “I am concerned for the octopus … I am thinking of sending him a protective team.”
A joke, but security at the Aquarium has been stepped up in case the portentous mollusc ends up in a cheeky paella. Although Paul had a 50 per cent chance of getting the correct result in each game, the chances of him getting all six right in a row were 1 in 64. Anyone who backed each of his predictions with a £10 flutter so far would be £84 up, but if they had rolled the bets into an accumulator would have won £1,426.
Today, aquarium handlers will ask Paul to decide on the winner of the third-place playoff between Germany and Uruguay by extending one of his eight suckered arms towards one of two boxes bearing their flags. He will then be asked to decide which team will lift the trophy on Sunday. But having already eaten Paul may decline to make another prediction, plunging the worlds of sport and gambling into turmoil.
Call me sceptical, but I’m really not sure Paul should be used to predict any games that do not involve Germany. Overuse and fatigue are clear and present concerns for the wise old octopus. They should be concentrating on getting Paul breeding in order to ensure that his psychic powers are passed on to the next generation.
The sad news is that the life expectancy for the common octopus is just three years – Paul is already two and a half, so this is probably his last major competition. The hunt is on for Paul’s replacement with Aquariums the world over jumping aboard. Cape Town’s own Two Oceans Aquarium had their Octopus whose name is ‘Jabulani’ pick his winner this morning and he picked Spain, Ole!
Here’s a video of Paul picking Spain to beat Germany in the semi-final: