A look back at one of the strangest moments in the Reds' history
Callum Campbell spoke out after he accidentally hit a beach ball on to the pitch in 2009
Callum Campbell spoke out after he accidentally hit a beach ball on to the pitch in 2009(Image: Sunday Mirror)
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Liverpool return to Sunderland's Stadium of Light tonight, which brings back memories of one of the most infamous moments in the club's modern history. It was October 17, 2009, when Rafael Benitez's side arrived in the North East looking to inject some life into what had so far been an inconsistent campaign.
The Reds had gone into the international break on the back of two disappointing defeats away at Fiorentina and Chelsea. The team were hoping to finally show the form that nearly saw them win the league the previous season - and hoped to beat a Sunderland side that started the game just two points behind Liverpool. Star players Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres may have been injured, but it was nothing to do with the lack of squad depth that the Reds got off to a poor start and conceded in the fifth minute.
It is one of the most surreal moments in Premier League history, as Darren Bent's shot hit a beach ball that had been thrown onto the pitch as it deflected into the back of the net. A dumbstruck Pepe Reina moved towards the inflatable ball as the Mackems took an early lead in the most unlikely and unique of circumstances.
Reds players protested with the referee, as surely some sort of rule meant this would be disallowed, but none such existed. The goal remarkably stood - and nobody quite recovered as the game petered out into the strangest of 1-0 defeats.
Football's enduring appeal is how it manages to throw up the truly unexpected - and the inquest was out after the game with a far-fetched question that had never been asked before: Just how did a beach ball make it onto the pitch of a Premier League game in the North East in October?
Twenty-four hours later, everything was cleared up when Callum Campbell bravely went public as the boy who committed the act. The then 16-year-old was in the Reds' end and was absolutely distraught he had accidentally played a part in his beloved team getting beaten.
Callum Campbell with the beach ball in 2009
Callum Campbell with the beach ball in 2009(Image: Sunday Mirror)
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The then trainee painter and decorator spoke to our sister site, Mirror Online, at the time, as he said: "It was me. I’m the one who did it. I’m the one caught on camera. I’m so, so sorry. This is my worst, worst nightmare.
“When I got home I went into the garden and threw up. I was physically sick – and that’s before the death threats started appearing on the internet the next day."
Callum faced horrendous abuse as he spoke about some of the comments he was subjected to. Some comments included on the Mirror Online piece were: “Leave town kid – stay home or you’re dead!", "Get a coffin ready," and "I’m not only going to stab you but mince you up and make curry out of it."
While initially shocked, Callum was able to rise above it, as he said: "I knew the true fans wouldn’t threaten me like that – they would know I was more cut up about what happened than anyone else.”
Recounting how the incident took place, Callum said he was not the owner of the infamous beach ball. He said: "Television made it look like I lobbed the beach ball onto the pitch, and straight away it hit the match ball."
"But the truth is, the game hadn’t started. The teams were just coming out. And the beach ball wasn’t even mine. I’d never seen one before. The crowd were bouncing it around above their heads; then it came my way, and I just took a big swing and knocked it towards the pitch. After that the wind carried it into the net.
The infamous beach ball goal as Sunderland beat Liverpool 1 - 0 in 2009
The infamous beach ball goal as Sunderland beat Liverpool 1 - 0 in 2009(Image: Getty Images)
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“I can’t believe it stayed there. It would have taken someone a couple of seconds to move it away or put a foot on it and flatten it, but nobody bothered. And then it started to roll about. Just at the wrong moment.
"But I accept I shouldn’t have thrown it onto the pitch in the first place." Callum was supported by his parents, Liz and John, in the interview, who reassured him it was just a crazy accident.
Mum Liz said: "Callum walked in after the match, white as a sheet. He couldn’t eat. He normally has a pizza delivered when he gets back from a match, but he couldn’t face anything.
“He just sat at the table with his head in his hands, and he kept going over and over what had happened. He said, ‘Do you think I was to blame Mum?’ As a mother and a Liverpool fan, I told him no, he wasn’t.
“There was plenty of time to move the ball before the match kicked off. The goal shouldn’t have been allowed. It was a freak accident.
“Liverpool FC is the love of his life. Not girls, or music, or clothes – Liverpool. He shouldn’t have to go through the rest of his life being known as the fan who lost them a match.”
Callum Campbell was distraught after the accident
Callum Campbell was distraught after the accident(Image: Sunday Mirror)
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Dad John added: “If anyone is to blame it’s the ground staff who didn’t move the ball.” Arne Slot's side enter the game at Sunderland tonight after madcap scenes in their latest game saw the in-form Dominik Szoboszlai get sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity, moments after the goal was initially given to Manchester City.
It was an unprecedented end to a chaotic game at Anfield that ended with Alisson Becker staying up the pitch and trying to win flick-ons in the desperate chase for an equaliser. While the scenes were crazy, it still doesn't quite compare to a goal deflecting in off a beach ball that has somehow found its way onto the pitch. Arne Slot will be hoping for a much more calmer game when the Reds aim to resurrect a faltering season against Sunderland at 8.15pm. The beach ball now has now been immortalised in football history as it can be viewed as part of an exhibition at the National Football Museum.
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