Octopus picks Spain; bird picks Holland
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Mani picking up a card with the flag of the Netherlands in Singapore's Little India neighborhood as his owner, fortune-teller M. Muniyappan looks on
source: http://www.dailychilli.com/
Which would you believe? Paul the 'psychic' octopus in Germany that has predicted correctly - and very publicly - so far this World Cup or a parakeet in Singapore that has a questionable track record?
Paul the psychic octopus has predicted Spain will beat Holland and win World Cup 2010 while Germany shall be triumphant in the third and fourth place play-off, www.telegraph.co.uk reported.
Paul the psychic octopus has predicted all of Germany's results correctly even including the defeats against Serbia in the group stages and Spain in the semi-finals.
Over in Singapore, AP reported that Mani crept out its his small wooden cage and had to choose between two white cards - one hiding the flag of the Netherlands, the other Spain.
If the bird's many new believers are right, Holland will win its first World Cup championship Sunday.
Mani grabbed a card in his beak Friday and flipped it over to reveal the Dutch flag.
The 13-year-old parakeet has become a local celebrity after its owner, M. Muniyappan, claimed Mani accurately forecast the World Cup's four quarterfinal games and Spain's semifinal victory over Germany.
"He's a special bird," Muniyappan said.
Muniyappan, an 80-year-old fortuneteller, said Mani has helped him predict the future for five years at a table in front of a restaurant in Singapore's Little India neighborhood, but this year's World Cup is the first time the parakeet has attempted to forecast the outcome of sports competitions.
"People usually want help picking the lottery numbers, or when to get married," said Muniyappan, who was born in India and moved to Singapore in 1953. "Then gamblers started asking about the World Cup."
However, Mani's 'correct' predictions for the World Cup were never publicised while millions of footie fans have seen Paul the octopus picking the winner on YouTube, blogs, television and newspapers. Paul had also worked as a psychic during the Euro championship two years ago when it famously made a wrong prediction by picking Germany to beat Spain.
Since correctly predicting Spain's victory over Joachim Low's team in the World Cup semifinal, Paul has been on the receiving end of a backlash from Germany fans with many of them threatening to chop it up and cook it for a delicious seafood meal.
It is unclear if Paul's prediction that Germany will beat Uruguay for third place in the World Cup has calmed down its German detractors.
However Paul has got support in the unlikely form of Sanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero who has joked he will provide Paul with a team of bodyguards.
Zapatero said: "I am concerned for the octopus. I am thinking of sending him a protective team."
Spanish environment and fisheries minister Elena Espinosa has also sworn to protect the octopus.
"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," Espinosa said.
Published July 9 2010
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