Police have been forced to warn people not to waste their time after a Manchester United fan rang 999 to complain about Nani's sending-off against Real Madrid.
The controversial red card garnered plenty of column inches and an 18-year-old in Nottinghamshire felt it was so egregious that he phoned the police to report it as a crime.
He later apologised for the call, claiming to have been caught up in the excitement.
"While this recent example may be amusing, it illustrates the sort of insincere calls we have to deal with on a daily basis in the control room," chief inspector Ted Antill said.
"They waste our time and they direct us away from genuine victims of crime, particularly if we dispatch officers out to something that turns out to be a bogus report."
Nottinghamshire police recorded 6,933 hoax calls in 2012 – which is about 2 per cent of all calls.
"I would ask people to think before picking up the phone for emergency services. I would also advise parents to ensure your children are aware that prank calls and the reporting of made-up crimes is a crime in itself," he said.
"There may be people out there in real trouble who need our help and they have to wait because we are tied up with calls like this one, reporting a referee from the television.
"It’s no joke. In this case, the man realised his bad judgement and apologised and we decided not to pursue it further. But we can and we do prosecute people for wasting police time and making false reports.”
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