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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Ravi Holy

Did God fix a football match? Welcome to the great divine intervention debate

Wolverhampton Wanderers fan Jim Sharma presents Pope Leo with a Wolves shirt
Wolverhampton Wanderers fan Jim Sharma presents Pope Leo with a Wolves shirt, November 2025, Turkey. Photograph: Vatican

‘I don’t believe in an interventionist God,” sings Nick Cave in the opening line of his 1997 song, Into My Arms. But Jim Sharma, a football fan who is a devotee of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, very much does – and who can blame him?

For the detached, the uninformed and nonsports fans, the issue here is that Wolves had a terrible start to the season and, until the other day, looked set to beat Derby County’s unenviable record as the worst-performing team in Premier League history. Then they played my team, West Ham, and had their first taste of victory since April. Wolves 3 West Ham 0.

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