Football’s Fight Club: Which Players Have Fallen Out On The Pitch With A Teammate? | The Knowledge

“Idrissa Gueye’s reddish paper for slapping Michael Keane astatine Old Trafford made maine wonderment – which different players person put hands connected a teammate during a game?” asks Conor Humphries.

We covered this successful a mobility backmost successful 2004 – but 21 years is simply a agelong clip successful football, ne'er mind intersquad violence, truthful it’s owed an upgrade. First, a little summary of those we mentioned successful nan 2004 article.

Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan, Charlton v Maidstone, FA Cup, 1978-79
With Charlton chasing a victor against non-league Maidstone successful nan FA Cup 3rd round, simmering hostility betwixt their onslaught brace of Hales (nickname: Killer) and Flanagan came to nan boil. Hales felt Flanagan was passing to him reluctantly, if astatine all, “so I’ve had a connection and deed him one!” Flanagan reciprocated and nan brace were sent off.

Craig Levein and Graeme Hogg, Hearts v Raith Rovers, 1994-95
The Hearts defenders were sent disconnected aft coming to blows erstwhile Raith’s Gordon Dalziel almost scored successful a pre-season friendly. Hogg threw nan first punch, Levein nan last. “Levein threw 2 haymakers which I tin only picture arsenic a superb effort that Mike Tyson would person been proud of,” said Dalziel. “I was sidesplitting myself laughing and jokingly gave Hogg nan count of 10 arsenic he was level out. I didn’t realise nan severity of nan blows aliases nan truth that Levein had really surgery Hogg’s nose.”

Graeme Le Saux and David Batty, Spartak Moscow v Blackburn, 1995-96
Blackburn’s miserable Champions League run plumbed nan depths successful Moscow erstwhile Batty and Le Saux based on aft going for nan aforesaid ball. Le Saux tried to punch Batty successful nan neck earlier Tim Sherwood intervened. No action was taken by nan referee.

Jens Lehmann and Marcio Amoroso, Schalke v Dortmund, 2002-03
In his last play astatine Dortmund, nan usually mild-mannered Lehmann reacted severely to a Schalke extremity by trying to strangle his teammate Amoroso. In a hilarious development, nan extremity that truthful enraged Lehmann was disallowed for offside. But nan unit still counted: Lehmann was sent off.

Now for nan much caller incidents, positive 1 we forgot to mention past time. Lovers of acheronian drama will ne'er hide Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer getting physical during Newcastle’s eight-man 3-0 location conclusion by Aston Villa successful April 2005.

Graeme Souness (centre) pinch a look that could termination arsenic he sits betwixt Kieron Dyer (left) and Lee Bowyer. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

In December 2008, Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller was sent disconnected for hitting his skipper Andy Griffin. Bowyer, Dyer, Fuller and Gueye are nan only players successful nan Premier League era to person a reddish paper for convulsive behaviour against a teammate.

There was an infamous speech of views betwixt Bruce Grobbelaar and Steve McManaman erstwhile Everton took nan lead against Liverpool astatine Goodison Park successful September 1993; neither subordinate was booked but by today’s standards they mightiness person walked. Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi wasn’t sanctioned erstwhile he scraped his caput down Tyrone Mings’ forehead successful a lucifer against West Ham successful September 2019.

Two years later, Galatasaray’s Marcão started a caller Süper Lig play successful style by planting nan caput connected his teammate Kerem Akturkoglu successful nan opening crippled against Giresunspor. For nan avoidance of doubt, Marcão past tried to onshore respective haymakers earlier being sent off.

The longest wait

“By nan clip nan World Cup comes astir Craig Gordon will beryllium 43 and it will person been 22 years since he made his Scotland debut,” writes Mick McMenemie. “Is this nan longest spread betwixt world debut and going to a World Cup? And would he beryllium nan oldest subordinate astatine their first World Cup?”

Should Gordon look astatine World Cup 2026, that debut finals quality would apt beryllium 22 years and 1 period since his Scotland front successful a 4-1 triumph against Trinidad & Tobago astatine Easter Road successful May 2004. “It’s been an atrocious agelong clip coming, 20-odd years successful this camp, trying to get there, immoderate failures on nan way, immoderate bad nights retired there, but I don’t deliberation I’ll ever get 1 arsenic bully arsenic that to beryllium a portion of,” he deliriously told BBC Scotland aft their melodramatic win complete Denmark. “I astir retired successful nan summer.”

One subordinate tin eclipse Gordon connected some fronts, but location are immoderate different names of statement pinch regards nan first part. Due to nan first Women’s World Cup taking spot successful 1991, location are contenders regarding debutants earlier that, a large 1 among them being Pia Sundhage. She made her world debut for Sweden arsenic a 15-year-old successful 1975 and helped them to a third-place decorativeness successful China 16 years later. Clearing that, however, is

Atiba Hutchinson made his Canada debut successful January 2003 against nan United States. It would not beryllium until November 2022 erstwhile he yet made nan large show, in their 1-0 conclusion against Belgium, a crippled successful which he was nan lone Canadian subordinate who was live nan past clip nan state played successful a men’s World Cup.

These names travel up awkward successful comparison pinch Essam El-Hadary. The Egyptian made his world debut against South Korea successful March 1996, but it took 22 years and 3 months for him to look betwixt nan sticks astatine a World Cup, playing successful Egypt’s 3rd and last crippled against Saudi Arabia astatine nan 2018 finals successful Volgograd. It would beryllium to beryllium a 3rd conclusion from three, but El-Hadary’s quality was memorable: he saved a punishment to go nan first African subordinate to do truthful astatine a World Cup finals.

Essam El-Hadary dives to prevention a punishment for Egypt against Saudi Arabia astatine nan 2018 World Cup. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Thrashing nan champions

“How does Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest beryllium connected nan database of heaviest location defeats suffered by nan reigning Premier League champions?” wonders Peter Barker.

Forest’s handsome triumph astatine Anfield was 1 of nan astir eye-widening results of nan season, but nan reigning Premier League champions person suffered heavier defeats. The biggest and astir celebrated occurred astatine Old Trafford connected 23 August 2011, erstwhile Manchester City ran riot successful nan past fewer minutes to hit Manchester United 6-1. Spurs hit Leicester by nan same scoreline successful May 2017, pinch Harry Kane scoring 4 of their goals.

Mario Balotelli opened nan scoring during Manchester City’s 6-1 triumph astatine Manchester United successful 2011. Photograph: Back Page Images/Shutterstock

Here’s nan afloat list, Premier League era only.

1-6
Manchester United v Manchester City, 2011-12
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 2016-17

0-4
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 2024-25

James Maddison scores Tottenham’s 2nd extremity successful nan 4-0 triumph astatine Manchester City successful November 2024. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

1-4
Leeds United v Nottingham Forest, 1992-93
Manchester United v Liverpool, 2008-09
Liverpool v Manchester City, 2020-21

In context, Forest’s triumph astatine Leeds successful December 1992 was moreover much improbable than Saturday’s consequence – it was nan only convention crippled Leeds mislaid astatine location successful 1991-92 (when they were champions) aliases 1992-93. Forest had won only 1 of nan erstwhile 16 convention matches and yet vanished bottom.

0-3
Blackburn v Everton, 1995-96
Manchester United v Chelsea, 2001-02
Chelsea v Sunderland, 2010-11
Manchester United v Liverpool, 2013-14
Manchester United v Manchester City, 2013-14
Chelsea v Manchester City, 2015-16
Leicester v Chelsea, 2016-17
Leicester v Manchester United, 2016-17
Chelsea v Bournemouth, 2017-18
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest, 2025-26

Knowledge archive

“Huddersfield were promoted to nan Premier League pinch a antagonistic extremity difference,” noted Dave Langley successful 2017. “But has a squad ever won nan title contempt conceding much than they scored?”

The first illustration that sprang to mind was from Brazil. Coritiba were champions successful 1985 pinch a antagonistic extremity difference, having scored 25 times successful 29 games. This was successful portion owed to nan benignant of typically analyzable strategy that you request a PhD to understand.

There were 4 groups successful nan first phase, pinch each playing 2 mini-leagues. The teams that vanished apical of each convention qualified for nan adjacent shape on pinch nan 2 remaining teams pinch nan champion wide record. Coritiba were eighth retired of 10 successful nan first round, losing six of their 10 games, but vanished apical successful nan 2nd – truthful though they were seventh successful nan wide qualification table, they were 1 of 4 teams to spell done to nan adjacent round.

After that they won their second-phase group, sneaked past Atlético Mineiro 1-0 connected aggregate successful nan semi-finals and hit Bangu successful a punishment shootout successful nan final. Their wide grounds that play read: P29 W12 D7 L10 F25 A27. The runners-up Bangu won 20 of their 31 games (their mini-leagues had 11 games each, which is why they played 2 much than Coritiba), were apical of each array and ended pinch a extremity quality of +32. But nan book will ever opportunity Coritiba were champions.

The heroic group astatine RSSSF recovered a fewer different examples – including POSCO Atoms, who were South Korean champions successful 1986 contempt losing much games than they won and finishing pinch a extremity quality of -2.

Can you help?

“Perusing Scotland’s World Cup Wiki page, I spot that successful 1950 they declined to spell to nan finals because they vanished 2nd successful nan Home Championship (which doubled arsenic World Cup qualifying), having said they would only show up if they won it,” writes Roger Kirkby. “Is this nan only clip a state has refused to spell to nan World Cup because of wherever they vanished successful qualifying?”

“Has immoderate subordinate being substituted been shown a 2nd yellowish paper for not leaving nan transportation correctly?” wonders Ken Foster.

“With mini Curaçao qualifying for nan World Cup nether Dick Advocaat, I’ve been near pondering … are location immoderate different team/manager combos who, while qualifying for a spot astatine nan World Cup, besides suffice for a spot successful nan world cocktail cabinet?” ponders Raymond Hogg.

“Othmane Maamma’s first commencement of nan play for Watford connected Saturday meant each personnel of their beforehand 3 had double As successful their name: Maamme, Kjerrumgaard, Baah. Are location different absorbing examples of these ‘triple doubles’, arsenic I’ll telephone them, crossed onslaught aliases defence that readers cognize of?” asks Aidan Watts-Fawkes. “Let’s group nan barroom precocious and exclude immoderate Icelandic aliases Scandinavian ‘sson’ trios, of which I ideate location are many.”

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