Play futebol, don’t chew gum
IMAGE: oleole.com.
A Brazilian futebol/soccer player, José da Silva Aloísio, discovered the threatening drawbacks of chewing gum and running into fellow players. As The New York Times reported last week:
Aloisio, a striker for Vasco da Gama, wound up in the hospital after colliding with an opponent and choking on his gum during a second-division game Tuesday. He was released from the hospital and avoided serious injury.
While Aloísio doesn’t remember much of the injury — after which he stopped breathing momentarily — the accident has inspired a new approach for the mingling of futebol and chiclete:
“I don’t remember a lot,” Aloisio told local media Wednesday. “I only remember the doctor taking the gum out. I have never been scared like this — no more chewing gum for me.”