///For more than a decade the Mascot Grand National has been a keenly-contested fixture on the sporting calendar featuring representatives from football clubs across the country.
But this year's race, due to be held today, has been marred by a bitter row that questions the event's very integrity and threatens to deal it a terminal blow.
Dozens of competitors are boycotting the charity race because they believe it has been hijacked by "ringers". The renegade mascots are even considering picketing the event in protest.///
and:
///Concerns about the event among "professional" mascots have been growing for several years. The title has not been won by a representative from the Football League since 2003, when Chaddy the Owl, from Oldham Athletic, won. ///
LINK:
http://www.telegraph....l-hit-by-boycott.html