Irish Examiner view: We bid a sad 'adieu' to the Squirrels

Sadly we have one less weird and wonderful soccer nickname now that Benin's national side has ditched 'the Squirrels'

Benin's national soccer team has dropped its 'Squirrels' nickname (‘les ecureuils’ in French) in favour of the far more fearsome 'les guepards' or the Cheetahs.  File picture: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty

Strange nicknames for soccer clubs abound — you’ve got the Shrimpers in Southend, the Monkey Hangers in Hartlepool, and, further afield, you get such as the Moody Diva at Eintracht Frankfurt. Sadly, however, no more will we have the Squirrels from the West African country of Benin.

Fan dissatisfaction at the ‘Squirrel’ moniker for the team, on the basis that the little critters were ‘insignificant’, spurred the Benin Football Federation to take firm action.