Fri, July 09, 2010
A parakeet called Mani in Singapore picks Holland to win the World Cup after previous predictions have rung true.
Move over Paul the octopus, Singapore has its own football tipster in the form of a parakeet called Mani.
The seven-year-old bird from Malaysia has become a national sensation, having predicted that Holland, Uruguay, Germany and Spain would make it into the semi-finals and that Spain would beat Germany.
Mani has picked the Netherlands to win the championship match and his owner, fortune teller Munniyappan, has full confidence in the feathered pundit.
"Yes, I believe 100 percent whatever he picks will be right."
Though Mani's recent celebrity is due to his football predictions, he has been helping out locals on questions about marriage and fortune for years in Singapore's historic 'little India' district.
"He's spot on with some of his predictions in the past, especially when people are buying 4D's (Singapore lottery), I mean, big sweepstakes and all these things. He's a bit of a lucky mascot for that."
Balu, the manager of the Komali Vilas restaurant says that since Mani hit the headlines, people have been flocking to the stall outside to have their fortunes read.
"Definitely it will be right, that is going to be because before it happened it was right. So we are also believing, he is also most believing, so we are also believing that it will definitely be, uh, good."
The Netherlands and Spain will square off on Sunday (July 11) for the World Cup final, the first ever for both sides.
Stefanie McIntyre, Reuters
