Ali Dia is reported to be furious at missing out once again on an entry into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
As Ashley Cole becomes the latest player to join an illustrious list of names that includes the likes of Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry and David Beckham, the former Southampton striker is unhappy at not being on the latest shortlist of possible inductees.
A Saints spokesperson told Paddy Power News “Ali is a folk hero down here on the south coast, those ten minutes against Leeds in 1996 were unforgettable.
“He’s up there with Matt Le Tissier, Mariann Pahars and, err, Barry Venison as one of the greatest players to wear the Saints jersey.
“Plus, he made a really good job of painting the toilets at the old Dell. He deserves the gong for being so useless.”
Dia, who briefly came on as a substitute before being substituted, conned then Saints boss Graeme Souness into believing he was the cousin of Liberian superstar George Weah.
After his Leeds cameo, he never wore a Southampton or indeed, any other Premier League shirt again, and was last seen plying his trade at Spennymoor United in the late 90’s.
A friend of Dia’s explained to us that “Ali should be on that latest shortlist. Look at some of the names on there – Yaya Toure, the man who threatened to quit Man City because they forgot to bake him a birthday cake and Michael Owen, more famous for that cringey helicopter video than anything he ever did on the pitch.”
When we asked a Premier League executive why Dia had been overlooked again, they told us:
“Inductees into our Hall of Fame are voted in by supporters so they must have made a special contribution to English football.
“Eric Cantona is in because he tw**ted that Crystal Palace fan, while City fans voted in their droves to get Steven Gerrard inducted after his slip handed them the title.”
Southampton fans have now started a petition to get Dia’s achievements recognised and are trying to get the 100 thousand signatures that would allow Parliament to debate it in the House of Commons.
One supporter told us “The Prime Minister is a Saints fan so we hope he can pull a few strings for us before he’s booted out of number 10.”
*Paddy Power’s football coverage is pure fantasy – don’t believe it for a second.
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