Edin Dzeko was sent off at the weekend for pulling an opponent’s shorts down, but who else has seen red for a bizarre reason. We’ve had a look and found five players who may or may not have been sent off.
Eden Hazard
Team: Chelsea
Reason: Kicking a ball boy
In his first season at Chelsea, Eden Hazard controversially kicked Swansea ball boy Charlie Morgan in the League Cup semi-final. The 17-year old appeared to have been kicked in the ribs by Hazard while the Belgian was trying to take a quick throw in. Hazard was shown a straight red card by Chris Foy and he later apologised to the ball boy.
Ashley Vickers
Team: Dorchester
Reason: Tackling a pitch invader
In the latter stages of the first half of a non-league clash between Dorchester and Havant and Waterlooville, the game was interrupted by a pitch invader dressed in a mankini, inspired by Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Borat. The invader evaded the stewards, but wasn’t able to escape Vickers who thought he was helping the authorities by body slamming him. The referee issued a red card, despite protests from opposition players, and Havant’s chairman even offered to take a player off to even the game up. The FA later withdrew the ban.
Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer
Team: Newcastle
Reason: Fighting each other
One of the most infamous Premier League moments came when Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were on the same team, but came to blows. The fight started when Bowyer became frustrated with Dyer not passing the ball to him. Both players were sent off and words were exchanged in the dressing room after. Both players backed down when manager Graeme Souness offered to fight them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7_ygd9k24w
Andre Bikey
Team: Cameroon
Reason: Pushing over a medic
Bikey was always a passionate individual in his time at Reading and Burnley, but he was also unpredictable. One example of this came in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations clash in 2008. Bikey’s teammate Rigobert Song required treatment and the medics were keen to remove him from the pitch and restart the game. Unhappy with the speed of which this was happening, Bikey rushed over and pushed one of the physios over. The referee sent him off and he received a £5,000 fine and missed the final.
Adam Lindin Ljungkvist
Team: Jarna SK
Reason: Farting
Ljungkvist was appearing for Jarna SK reserves against Pershagen SK, but was sent off in the second half for “unsportsmanlike behaviour”. Ljungkvist told the local newspaper, “I had a bad stomach, so I simply let go”. The referee in question also spoke to the media following the game and said, “I perceived it as deliberate provocation. He did it on purpose and it was inappropriate.”
