Everyone knows that soccer fans are fanatics – but usually in a good way, not like the hooligans the U.S. press likes to focus on all the time. But I’d say this group of fans took things to the next level:

A chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans pretended it needed to make an emergency landing so they could watch their team compete in the FIFA Under 17 World Championships, officials said Wednesday. The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday near the stadium in Peru’s northern coast city of Piura. "It truly was a scam," said Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peru’s aviation authority, CORPAC. "They tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel."

No, this was not a good thing to do since they scrambled emergency crews, etc. But you have to give them an A for team spirit. I’m glad the Peruvians let them watch the match after all even if they may penalize the airline. I somehow expect the Gambian president would cover it for them! Of course its a good thing they didn’t try to do this here in the U.S. – they probably would have been shot on the tarmac or sent to Guantanamo!