Naughty fans are nothing new to soccer. Pitch intruders -- clothed or unclothed -- are a staple of the sport. In the past month, a fan in England took a free kick, while in another Spain dressed up as Cristiano Ronaldo.

These pranks took a more vulgar turn Monday when a fan outside Everton F.C.'s Finch Farm, the Liverpool-based club's training ground, disrupted a TV reporter's live shot ... with a purple sex toy.

Sky Sports television reporter Alan Irwin was discussing pertinent information to the summer transfer window, which ended Monday in Europe, when a fan decides to poke him in the ear with it.

Of course, it did not take long for the incident to find its way to Twitter. An account called "@TransferDildo" showed up shortly after.


The Guardian ran this statement of apology from a Sky Sports News spokesman said:

"Millions of viewers followed our coverage of transfer deadline day, which included over 270 live reporter updates from outside football clubs over the final 24 hours.

"We apologise to those whose enjoyment was spoiled by a small number of incidents and we're looking into ways to avoid this happening again in the future whilst ensuring fans remain a key part our live coverage."


The media are toyed with on a consistent basis, but this is another level.

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-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.

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