There are few mascots in world football like Mephi – OGC Nice’s eagle, which echoes the club’s crest and makes a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before kick-off.
The spectacle was repeated ahead of Nice’s Europa League tie with Roma on Thursday, but what was supposed to be a display of power and pride quickly turned into something far more comical.
As Mayfi swooped over to her coach, who was about to hand her a piece of food, one of the court sprinklers suddenly roared to full blast. Birds and handlers were immediately drenched, with the jets blasting with such force that the handlers scrambled to pull out soaked earphones.
For a moment, he looked completely taken aback, then suddenly smiled and gave the audience a reassuring thumbs up. Remarkably, Maefi herself didn’t seem fazed by the sudden soak, calmly going about her daily routine – although it’s certainly true that eagles don’t like ill-timed showers.
The incident caused plenty of laughs, but the night went downhill from there for Frank Hayes’ side. Nice beat Roma 2-1, with team owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos group also owns Manchester United, on hand to watch.
Just as Mephy’s pre-match plan went awry, so too did Nice’s, leaving the home fans filled with disappointment rather than celebration.
Nice’s eagle Mephie was sprayed by a stadium sprinkler before the game pic.twitter.com/Ui3b1BHGcq
— Football on TNT Sports Network (@footballontnt) September 24, 2025
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