In defence of Wayne Shaw’s pie-munching stunt

Uh oh, football’s puritans are riled up today. They think the sport might have been brought into disrepute during last night’s FA Cup tie between Sutton and Arsenal. Why? Because Sutton’s substitute goalkeeper, the gloriously fat Wayne Shaw, ate a pie on the subs bench during the match. Shaw’s stunt — which amused anybody with a sense of humour — may have broken the FA’s gambling laws, we are told, because Sun Bets, who had sponsored Sutton for the game, had offered 8-1 that Shaw would indeed be seen eating a pie during the match. 

Shaw had heard of the bet before the game. Rather than take offence that people were laughing at his obesity (the correct response in bore-bore land), he decided it would be more amusing to take a meat and potato pie from the club canteen and wolf it down from the subs bench. ‘Bit of banter,’ he has called it.