Italia 90 football memes encourage responsible coronavirus behaviour

A crafty couple have repurposed their bad drawings of 1990 World Cup moments to serve as “public service announcements” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Alex and Sian Pratchett began drawing questionable portraits of footballers in 2014 to avoid buying official football stickers.

Their obsession continued throughout the decade, with Italia 90 recently falling prey to their artistic talents.

However, with the coronavirus pandemic spreading across the world, the pair decided to use their art to encourage responsible behaviour.

“We have repurposed our Italia ’90 drawings into #Covid19 public service announcements, please listen,” they tweeted.

The result is a series of football memories such as Gary Lineker’s “Have a word with him” moment during England’s semi-final against West Germany, with Paul Gascoigne representing “Your elderly and/or vulnerable neighbours.”

Elsewhere, Frank Rijkaard’s spit in the direction of West Germany’s Rudi Voller during the last-16 phase of the tournament now comes with a stern “DO NOT DO THIS” thanks to Alex and Sian.

Benjamin Massing’s famous foul on Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia has been repurposed to send a more positive message meanwhile, Massing’s tackle representing “proper hand-washing” while a falling Caniggia has “COVID 19” written across his shorts.

But no Italia 90 reminiscing would be complete (for England fans at least) without Chris Waddle’s awful penalty against West Germany.

In Panini Cheapskates’ drawing, the ball now represents “You, going to the pub” while the goal is labelled “correctly following self-isolation advice”.

Will the memorable World Cup help football fans remember how to behave during the pandemic?