Date 31 October 2002 | ||
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Event THB Champions League playoff | ||
AS Adema 149–0 SO I'Emyrne was an association football match played on 31 October 2002 between two teams in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It holds the world record for the highest scoreline, recognized by The Guinness Book of Records. SO l'Emyrne intentionally lost the game against their arch-rivals AS Adema in protest over refereeing decisions that had gone against them during a four-team playoff tournament. The match surpassed the previous record for the highest scoreline of 36–0, set in 1885.
Overview
The match was part of a four-team round robin playoff to determine the national championship. The league crown went to Adema after SOE were held to a 2–2 draw by DSA Antananarivo in their penultimate match, during which the referee awarded a late and disputed penalty. The resulting draw meant that SOE were knocked out of the title race. With the championship already decided, SOE decided to protest; according to some sources, there was an argument between the SOE coach and the referee himself. SOE deliberately scored 149 own goals, with spectators saying that after each kick-off the ball was kicked into their own goal, the opposition players standing and looking bemused. It was reported that spectators descended on the ticket booths to demand a refund.
Following the match, the Fédération Malagasy de Football suspended the SOE coach, Zaka Be, for three years, and four of the team's players – defender Mamisoa Razafindrakoto, the captain of the Madagascar national football team the "Scorpions", SOE captain Manitranirina Andrianiaina, and players Nicolas Rakotoarimanana and goalkeeper Dominique Rakotonandrasana – were suspended until the end of the season and banned from visiting stadiums for the same period. All the other players, from both teams, received a warning and a threat of more serious action should they commit further offenses. The referee was not punished.
