Paul the "psychic" octopus, who has become a global
star after correctly forecasting all six of Germany's World Cup
games, will predict the final, but only if his hefty workload has
not exhausted him.
The mollusc medium, who stunned Germany by tipping Spain in the
semi-final -- spot on as it turned out, will on Friday make his
prediction for the third-place Germany match with Uruguay, a
spokesman for his aquarium told AFP.
Paul's handlers will follow the now familiar routine. Two boxes
will be lowered into his tank, each containing a tasty morsel of
food and the flags of the two opposing teams.
Whichever box Paul wrenches open is adjudged to be the
winner.
Afterwards, Paul will be offered boxes with Spanish and Dutch
flags, the two teams in Sunday's showcase final, but only if he is
deemed not too tired and still hungry, the spokesman said.
"We do not want to overburden him," the spokesman said.
The eight-legged oracle forecast German wins over Australia,
Argentina, England and Ghana. Proving he is not just attracted to
the German flag, he also correctly predicted losses to Serbia and
Spain, the latter live on national TV.
But as many World Cup stars have discovered in South Africa, the
footballing gods can quickly snatch fame and favour away.
Bitterness at Germany's 1-0 defeat to Spain turned to anger with
some sections of the 350,000-strong crowd in Berlin insulting both
Paul and his mother.
Even crueller, some fans have begun posting recipes on the
Internet, believing that Paul's reward for his clairvoyant powers
should be a meeting with the barbecue or the paella pot.