There are only a few mascots in world football that are immediately recognizable as Mefi -The eagle of OGC Nice, who reflects the coat of arms of the club and carries out a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before the kick -off.
The spectacle was again before Nice Europa League conflict with AS Roma on Thursday, but what should be an exhibition of power and proud, quickly became a much strange scene.
When Mefi went down to her trainer, who was preparing to hand over a treat, one of the Pitch sprinkles suddenly roared to life with full explosion. Both the bird and the coach were immediately soaked, the jets shooting with such strength that the coach tried to pull out his soaked in-ear headphones.
He looked completely surprised for a second before he broke into a smile and gave the crowd down thumbs up. Remarkably, Mefi himself seemed unhindered over the sudden soaking and continued her routine with balance – although it can certainly be assumed that the eagle did not enjoy the foggy shower.
The misfortune pulled a lot of laughter, but for Franck Haise the night went downhill from there. Nice slipped against Roma with a 2-1 defeat, which was observed by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos group also has Manchester United.
Especially when Mefi’s plan went wrong before the game, also Nice, the domestic followers left more disappointed than solemn.
Nice’s Eagle, Mèfi, was blown up by the Pitch Sprinkler before the game. 😭 pic.twitter.com/ui3b1bhgcq
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 24, 2025
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