Football's fight club: which players have fallen out on the pitch with a teammate? | The Knowledge

The world of football has a dark underbelly, where teammates can turn into opponents in the blink of an eye. From slapping each other on the pitch to planting their heads into their comrades' faces, we take a look at the most infamous cases of intrasquad violence.

In 1978, Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan's spat during an FA Cup match against Maidstone was so intense that it resulted in both players being sent off. Hales had had enough of Flanagan passing to him reluctantly, prompting a violent confrontation that left both men with a red card.

Fast forward to 1994, when Craig Levein and Graeme Hogg's pre-season friendly turned into a brawl after Raith Rovers' Gordon Dalziel almost scored. The two Hearts defenders traded punches, with Levein throwing haymakers that Dalziel described as "superb" and Hogg ending up with a broken nose.

The 1990s were also marked by some gruesome incidents, including Graeme Le Saux and David Batty's clash during Spartak Moscow's Champions League campaign. Le Saux tried to punch Batty in the neck before Tim Sherwood intervened, but no action was taken by the referee.

In a bizarre incident, Jens Lehmann reacted badly to a Schalke goal against Dortmund, trying to strangle his teammate Marcio Amoroso. The goal that so enraged Lehmann was disallowed for offside, but the violence still counted: Lehmann was sent off.

More recent incidents have also made headlines, including Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer's physical altercation during Newcastle's 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa in April 2005. And then there's Idrissa Gueye's infamous red card for slapping Michael Keane at Old Trafford.

One player can eclipse Gordon on both fronts is Essam El-Hadary, who made his international debut against South Korea in March 1996 but didn't appear between the sticks until 22 years and three months later at the 2018 World Cup. Another example of a long wait for an international debut is Pia Sundhage's 15-year-old debut for Sweden in 1975.

When it comes to thrashing champions, Forest's 3-0 win against Liverpool remains one of the most shocking results in Premier League history. Other notable examples include Manchester City's 6-1 defeat of United at Old Trafford in 2011 and Spurs' 4-0 win over Leicester in May 2017.

The knowledge archive has some fascinating questions, including whether a team or manager combo has qualified for both the World Cup and international cocktail cabinets. We'll have to wait and see if readers can help us crack this one!

Lastly, we have some queries from our readers that need answering: Has any player been shown a second yellow card for not leaving the pitch correctly? Can you help with these questions and more in our knowledge archive?
 
πŸ€” it's wild to think about how many times players just lose their cool on the field... i mean, who needs a sports psychology degree when you've got a red card waiting for you, right? πŸ˜‚ anyway, can we talk about why these guys are still making headlines 20+ years later? is it because they're just that memorable or 'cause our collective nostalgia for football just makes us forget how messed up the game can be sometimes? 🏈 idk
 
I mean, come on, 1978's Derek Hales vs Mike Flanagan fight was pretty wild, but have you seen more recent stuff like Paul Pogba getting red-carded against Turin for a "kung-fu kick" 🀯. That was low-key crazy talk. Anyway, back to the topic - it's interesting that you mentioned Essam El-Hadary and Pia Sundhage, but what about other record-breakers? Like, did you know that there are also female cricketers who've taken a 20-year break between international appearances πŸ€”. Not exactly football, but still cool facts to learn!
 
I mean, what's up with all this violence on the pitch, right? 🀯 It's like some of these players can't even control themselves. I'm watching this game, Manchester City vs Liverpool, and it's 3-0 for City, and I see a player get a red card, and I'm like "seriously?" What's going on over there? πŸ˜’ And then you look at the history, and it's like... okay, so Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan were sent off in '78, that's pretty wild. But to see guys getting sent off for slapping each other, or just being super aggressive... I don't know, it just seems so... unnecessary πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

And what's with the refs not doing anything? I mean, like, Graeme Le Saux and David Batty got into this huge fight, but no one said anything. That's just not right 😑. And then you've got Jens Lehmann trying to strangle his teammate... that's just crazy 🀯

But at the same time, it's also kind of impressive how some players can be so passionate about the game. I mean, Pia Sundhage waited 15 years for her international debut, and she still had the skills to go out there and make a difference πŸ™Œ.

Anyway, just thinking... these are some pretty interesting questions...
 
I'm literally shocked by Jens Lehmann's reaction to that goal πŸ€―πŸ€. Strangling his teammate like that is just wild. I mean, I know he was upset, but come on! 2 red cards for him already in a single match against Dortmund and now you're adding this? πŸ˜…
 
The dichotomy between athletic camaraderie and interpersonal discord is a complex one πŸ€”. It's intriguing to see how a seemingly innocuous incident, such as Flanagan's reluctant pass to Hales, can escalate into a full-blown brawl πŸ₯Š. The fragility of human emotions and the pressure to perform can sometimes lead to unexpected outbursts πŸ’₯.

On another note, it's heartening to see players like El-Hadary and Sundhage who have persevered through long periods without representing their nations on the international stage πŸ™Œ. Their dedication and perseverance are testaments to the resilience of athletes in the face of adversity πŸ†.

Lastly, I'm curious about the answer to the question regarding second yellow cards for not leaving the pitch correctly πŸ€”. While it's not entirely clear why this hasn't been addressed previously, perhaps it's a matter of prioritizing team safety and avoiding further conflict ⚽️?
 
πŸ€” The drama is always on full display in football. I mean, what's a friendly match without a little physical altercations between teammates πŸ˜’. But seriously, some of those incidents from years ago still make me go "what was he thinking?" πŸ™„ like that one goal at Dortmund that made Jens Lehmann lose his cool... and then he just went for the throat πŸ€•. Can't say I blame him, though - 6-0 losses are brutal 😩.
 
πŸ€” I'm telling you, something fishy is going on here... all these infamous cases of teammates turning on each other... it's like they're trying to make us believe that football players are just naturally volatile. πŸ™„ But what about the ones who get away with it? Like when Jens Lehmann strangled his teammate and got a slap on the wrist instead? πŸ‘Š Something doesn't add up, if you ask me. And have you noticed how often these incidents happen after a goal is scored or disallowed? It's like they're trying to distract us from something else... 🀐
 
Ugh, football fans always so dramatic πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈ. I mean, who gets sent off for just passing the ball to their teammate reluctantly like Hales did back in 1978? It's not like it was a full-on tackle or anything... And what's with all these old incidents being pulled out of nowhere? Can't they just focus on the present and the actual matches being played instead of digging up dirt from decades ago? πŸ™„
 
I mean, who doesn't love a good dose of football drama πŸ˜’? Like, seriously though, have you seen some of these guys' temper tantrums? Idrissa Gueye's face when he slapped Michael Keane is forever 🀣. And can we talk about Jens Lehmann's anger issues for a second? Strangling his teammate? What was he thinking? πŸ˜‚. But for real, it's crazy how much drama goes on in the world of football. From slapping each other to full-on brawls, it's like they say: "you can't make this stuff up"... but honestly, you can πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ.
 
πŸ€” I'm not sure what's more shocking, the amount of violence on the field or how many people think it's cool 😎. Seriously though, it's crazy to think about how intense some of these incidents must have been. Like, who tries to strangle a teammate after a goal is disallowed? πŸ™„
 
πŸ€”πŸ’₯😬 players can get super angry on the pitch & it's crazy 🀯 but sometimes they just lose their cool 😑 like Jens Lehmann who got so mad at a goal being called offside that he almost choked his teammate πŸ’€πŸ‘Š

πŸ†πŸ“š fun fact: did you know there are players like Essam El-Hadary who wait YEARS for an international debut? 22 years and 3 months is insane πŸ€―πŸ•°οΈ

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈπŸ”₯ it's wild when teams get thrashed by other teams 😱 like Forest beating Liverpool 3-0 or Manchester City getting destroyed by United 6-1 πŸ”΄πŸ˜¨

πŸ“πŸ’‘ can you believe players got sent off for just playing with their hands? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ no action was taken in some cases πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ

πŸ‘€πŸ† what's up with the FA Cup match where two players got sent off for slapping each other on the pitch? πŸ€•πŸ’ͺ
 
so these football players think its okay to just punch each other on the field 🀣 like what's the protocol there tho? I mean i guess when ur in the heat of the moment u cant even be bothered to put ur hands up lololol also why do coaches let it slide all the time? shouldnt they be like "okay buddy thats enough" instead of just throwing ur teammate out πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈ
 
OMG u guys 1st off lol idk wot's wrng w/ footballers fightin on the pitch its like, what did they expect?? πŸ˜‚ i mean graeme hogg got a broken nose from craig levein that's wild 🀯 but like literally why do players do this? some of these stories r so crazyπŸ€ͺ jens lehmann trying 2 strangle his teammate marcio amoroso tho thats low πŸ”₯
 
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