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Beckham penalty outrage ball to tour UK

Goooooal! for charity

England fans may get a chance to take a spot kick with the same ball David Beckham hoofed over the bar during disastrous England's penalty shoot out against Portugal this summer.

Canadian casino site GoldenPalace.com recently bought the ball used in Beckham's infamous penalty kick for €28,050 (£18,500) after it was up for sale on eBay by enterprising Spaniard Pablo Carral. Football fan Carral (who must have been sitting high up in the stands) caught the ball and managed to smuggle it out of Lisbon's Estádio da Luz at the end of the emotional European Championship quarter final on 24 June. Portugal defeated England 6-5 on penalties after the sides were deadlocked at 2-2 at the end of extra time. The 'Beckham Ball' was made in Thailand and originally cost just €100.

GoldenPalace.com plans to use the ball in charity fundraising events. One plan is to hire a stadium in England and give fans the opportunity of taking their own penalty kicks against Portugal keeper Ricardo for £10, to be donated to a charity picked by Beckham. Whatever you make of GoldenPalace.com's guerrilla marketing tactics in promoting the putative event at least it’s a diversion from the normal England fan hobby of identifying outlandish excuses for the national team's latest failure. Reports that a sand pit is to be created in the penalty area of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground especially for the event remain unconfirmed.

GoldenPalace.com also wants to take the ball back to Portugal and Greece, who beat Portugal to be crowned European champions in the same stadium that witnesses England's inglorious exit from the tournament days earlier. ®

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