I blogged about Ukraine losing their World Cup match to Spain. The first excuse offered was that they didn't listen to their coach. Then it was suggested that Ukraine lost because of the boiling hot weather of 86 Fahrenheit.


Then Ukraine's defender Vladislav Vashchuk said it was the frog's fault that Ukraine lost.

UKRAINE have found someone to blame for their dismal performance in the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain - the frogs in a lake near their team hotel.

"We can barely sleep at night because of the croaking," said defender Vladislav Vashchuk said. "We have agreed to take sticks and hunt them."

From: Ukraine loss spawns excuse

It gets better... it terms of the humor department.

The Ukrainians have made their headquarters at the Seminaris Seehotel, a four-star resort on the edge of Potsdam's idyllic Templiner Lake. The hotel, surrounded by forest and on the edge of a shimmering stretch of blue water, is in the heart of a protected nature reserve. This morning, however, a spokeswoman for the hotel denied that there was a frog problem. "Obviously there are frogs in the lake. But there are also birds as well. In the morning they wake up and start going cheep. It's logical really. Are you suggesting that we should go and catch all the birds?"

Today, however, one expert suggested that the Ukrainians might have a point. Frank Zimmermann, environmental officer with the state of Brandenburg, of which Potsdam is the regional capital, said that frogs could be very noisy. "They can reach noise levels of 70 decibels. It's the same noise level as when a heavy goods lorry drives past." He added: "I don't advise the players to go and hunt the frogs, though. They are protected under German law."

From: Is this the worst excuse ever?

Ukrainians are not the only folks to produce excuses for poor performance. Here is a fun article on all the various excuses.