Charlton admit to publicity stunt involving couple having sex on pitch
Charlton Athletic have admitted that the furore caused by footage of a couple getting intimate on their pitch was a publicity stunt of their own making.
A video which appeared to show a man and woman having sex on the center circle at the Valley went viral on Thursday, with more than a million views of it on Vine alone. It had been suggested that the amorous pair may have broken into the South London ground, but Charlton confessed all on Thursday night.
The club are hiring out their pitch for fans to play on in the summer and launched the offer on their website under the headline 'Score at the Valley.'
And, with the club having had their fun with the video, commercial manager Mark Hassan-Ali said: "We wanted to launch our pitch hire program with a viral that would make football fans laugh. We released some 'CCTV' footage earlier in the week of a young couple on the pitch in a rather amorous situation."
He added: "We then decided to own up and explain that it was set up by us to launch our pitch hire campaign. The feedback has been great and we can confirm that the young couple will be attending our next home match."
The club posted the promotion on its Twitter page:
Fancy ‘scoring’ at The Valley this May? Hire the pitch for your work or Sunday team https://t.co/bF4P19p4UQ. #HireTheValley #cafc
— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) February 26, 2015