Every good pub quiz team needs a sports expert – and if you’ve clicked on this article, there’s a good chance that’s you.
The role the designated sports expert plays is critically important. Sure, they may not have the widest breadth of knowledge, but they’re there to stop the team dropping a clanger and to fill in the gaps when everyone else draws a blank.
This importance was laid bare for all to see during an episode of Eggheads, the popular British quiz show that aired on BBC from 2003 to 2023 and was hosted by Jeremy Vine.
For those unfamiliar with the programme, a team of contestants would pit themselves against the Eggheads – a group of seasoned quizmasters – in the hope of winning the jackpot.
The Eggheads are some of the best quizzers in the world and regularly answered sports questions successfully during the course of the show’s existence. But in one episode, the famous quiz team were left utterly perplexed by a basic sports question, leaving viewers stunned.
The question, which gave rugby, football and basketball as the three options in the multiple-choice format, was: ‘The Intertoto Cup was introduced as a summer competition in which sport?’
The Eggheads are some of the world’s best quizzers but were stumped by this sports question
The correct answer was football.
Originally known as the International Football Cup, the Intertoto Cup is a UEFA tournament held in the summer between European clubs.
UEFA took over the rights from the competition, which was first founded in 1961, in 1995 and added both a group and knockout stage. It was discontinued in 2008.
While cash prizes were up for grabs for the winning teams, the governing body also handed out a qualifying spot to the UEFA Cup as an incentive.
In total, 60 clubs entered the tournament and were divided into 12 groups of five, with 16 advancing to the next stage.
Portuguese club Braga won the final edition of the Intertoto Cup in 2008, before it was abolished following the election of UEFA president Michel Platini.
