QPR mascot fired for flirting with female fans at stadium

The man that has been regularly playing Queens Park Rangers mascot Jude the Cat has reportedly been fired by the club.

Suggestions of misconduct towards female fans on matchdays have been following around the incumbent of the costume.

Reports out of England claim that the move had to be made due to unusual circumstances. The man inside the beloved mascot had apparently become a little too friendly with several female soccer fans.

QPR officials reportedly gave several warnings to the mascot for his flirtatious behavior during matches. Jude the Cat was claimed to have essentially stopped his regular duties at times to talk to women around the stadium. Nevertheless, it seems as if the man inside the costume did not exactly adhere to these warnings. As a result, changes were made.

Jude the Cat has been a mainstay at the club since 2008. The mascot would regularly be seen dancing on the pitch and talking fans throughout the last 16 years. Along with Jude, QPR also has another feline mascot named Spark the Tiger. The duo both featured alongside each other at home games and other events.

New person inside mascot costume returned for QPR game on Saturday

A source at QPR has confirmed the reports of the mascot receiving warnings about his behavior. “Everyone at the club loved Jude,” stated the club’s source. “He had the smoothest moves in the league but, unfortunately, he was a bit of a smooth talker, too.”

“Several people complained that he was trying it on with the ladies more than cheering on the lads on the pitch. He would always be dancing with them and then trying to get them to give him their number. Jude was warned but he couldn’t help himself and the club had no choice.”

The mascot has not been present in recent weeks inside Loftus Road. They also had not posted on their own official social media account on the app previously known as Twitter since March 8th. A presumedly new Jude the Cat, however, has now returned to social media on Saturday. The mascot also made an appearance during QPR’s home matchup with Sheffield Wednesday as well.

Mascot named after real black cat that lived at club’s stadium

Jude was named after a real-life black cat that formerly called Loftus Road home during the 1990s. The name of the cat was actually picked by QPR fans as a nod to the club’s previous historical roots. The club was initially formed way back in 1886 when two teams joined forces. One of these teams was called St. Jude’s and the other was Christchurch Rangers. The resulting newly formed club was then named Queens Park Rangers.

QPR currently features in the second-tiered EFL Championship. The Hoops only narrowly avoided relegation down to League One last season and now find themselves 17th in the 24-team division.

The historic side was included as one of the founding members of the reformed Premier League in 1992, but subsequently suffered relegation four years later. QPR last featured in the English top flight in the 2014/15 campaign, when they finished bottom of the table.

Photo credits: IMAGO / PA Images : IMAGO / PA Images