Imagine showing up for a football match, ready to witness a title decider… only to see one team spend 90 minutes scoring against themselves. That’s exactly what happened in Madagascar in 2002, a game so absurd that it feels like a deleted draft from Ted Lasso.

On October 31, 2002, AS Adema beat SO l’Emyrne 149–0. 
No typo. One hundred and forty-nine to nil. 
And here’s the kicker: Adema didn’t score a single goal. 

Every one of those 149 goals was an own goal, a full-on, organized protest from SO l’Emyrne, who had apparently decided, “If we’re going down, we’re taking logic with us.”

SO l’Emyrne weren’t some random pub side. They were defending champions, a proud club, led by Madagascar’s national team captain, Mamisoa Razafindrakoto.

The problem started a week earlier, when they drew 2-2 against DSA Antananarivo after conceding a highly questionable late penalty. That result killed their title hopes and handed the league crown to their rivals, AS Adema.

So when the two sides met for their final match, a game that technically meant nothing, SO l’Emyrne decided to make a point. Literally. Over and over again.

From the first whistle, they started booting the ball into their own net. Then again. And again. And again. 149 times in total.

Now, imagine being in the stands. You’ve paid for your ticket. You’ve grabbed a snack. And within two minutes, your team is already… scoring on itself? By halftime, the scoreboard’s a fever dream.

The AS Adema players reportedly just stood there, confused, like someone who walked into the wrong Zoom meeting. The referee? He kept it official. No intervention, no abandonment, just 90 minutes of pure football lunacy.

Some fans demanded refunds. Others just laughed. One local paper described it as “a historic day for football, though not the kind anyone wanted.” 

Do the math. That’s roughly one goal every 36 seconds. Which means they weren’t just protesting, they were efficient about it. That includes kickoffs, retrieving the ball, setting it down, and blasting it back in. Somewhere, Pep Guardiola is probably impressed with the time management.

The Guinness World Records still lists it as:

👉Biggest scoreline in football history 
👉Most own goals ever in a match 

Even Arbroath’s legendary 36–0 win from 1885 looks like a tight contest next to this.

The Malagasy Football Federation didn’t find the humor in it. SO l’Emyrne’s coach, Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka, got a three-year suspension. Several players, including Razafindrakoto, were banned for the rest of the season. The club itself was fined and never really recovered; by 2006, they were dissolved completely.

AS Adema, meanwhile, just… stood there and became part of football folklore without even touching the ball. The easiest win in sports history.

On one hand, it’s hilarious. On the other hand, it’s kind of tragic. SO l’Emyrne weren’t trying to embarrass the sport; they were trying to highlight what they saw as injustice. It was a meltdown, but also a statement. A very weird, extremely public statement that will live forever in record books and pub quizzes.

It’s the kind of story that reminds you why football is so unpredictable. Sometimes it’s about tactics, heart, and brilliance. Other times, it’s 11 angry men deciding to own-goal their way into immortality.

If you ever think you’ve seen it all in football, VAR chaos, last-minute winners, Messi switching clubs, just remember Madagascar, 2002. 149–0. 
A result so ridiculous that even the vidiprinter probably took a coffee break halfway through. 

Records are made to be broken, sure. But this one? No chance.