Every football fan knows that sinking feeling when a player gets sent off. Being reduced to ten—or even nine—men can completely change the course of a match. Since the introduction of VAR, red cards have become more common across Europe and the international stage, with referees under less pressure to make split-second decisions. Still, some dismissals have been so bizarre that they’ve gone down as legendary moments in the game. Here is our take on 10 of the strangest red cards in football history.
10. Edin Džeko
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In a 2016 World Cup qualifier between Greece and Bosnia & Herzegovina, Edin Džeko found himself in an odd scuffle. After being tackled, Džeko stayed down and clung to the ball, prompting Sokratis Papastathopoulos to try and wrestle it away. In response, Džeko pulled down the Greek defender’s shorts and received his second yellow card. To make matters worse, Greece equalized in stoppage time.
9. Rivaldo
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During the 2002 World Cup clash between Brazil and Turkey, Rivaldo delivered more of a performance than anyone expected. When Turkey’s Hakan Ünsal kicked the ball toward Rivaldo—who was waiting to take a corner—it hit him in the legs. But Rivaldo threw himself to the ground clutching his face, and the referee fell for the act. Ünsal was shown a red card, and Brazil went on to win the match—and the tournament.
In a 2014 Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and RC Lens, Edinson Cavani scored a penalty and celebrated with his trademark ‘sniper’ pose aimed at the home crowd. The referee saw it as provocative and booked him. Cavani protested, made contact with the referee’s arm, and was immediately shown a red card—despite PSG cruising through the game.
During an FA Cup tie against Arsenal in 2002, Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher lost his cool after being hit by a coin thrown from the Highbury stands. Reacting instinctively, he threw the coin back into the crowd and was shown a straight red. Though he avoided an FA suspension, he did receive a formal warning from police.
6. Javier Mascherano
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In a 2013 World Cup qualifier against Ecuador, Javier Mascherano was being stretchered off late in the game when water spilled on him. In a shocking outburst, the Argentine midfielder kicked one of the medics—twice. He was promptly shown a red card, and the scene nearly escalated further before Gonzalo Higuaín dragged him away.
5. Josip Šimunić
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Josip Šimunić made World Cup history for all the wrong reasons in 2006. In Croatia’s group-stage game against Australia, referee Graham Poll somehow issued Šimunić three yellow cards before finally sending him off. It was one of the biggest refereeing blunders ever seen on the world stage, and Poll stepped down from officiating international tournaments shortly afterward.
4. Kieran Gibbs
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In a bizarre case of mistaken identity during a 2014 Premier League game between Chelsea and Arsenal, Kieran Gibbs was shown a red card for a handball committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Despite protests from both players, the referee stuck to his decision, and Gibbs was sent off. Ironically, Hazard’s shot had been heading off target anyway.
When Manchester United visited Crystal Palace in 1995, Eric Cantona was sent off for kicking Richard Shaw. But it was what happened next that stunned the world—Cantona launched a kung-fu kick at a taunting Palace fan in the stands. The Frenchman was banned from football for nine months and faced criminal charges, though the incident only added to his legend.
2. Eden Hazard
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In the 2013 League Cup semifinal between Swansea City and Chelsea, Eden Hazard snapped in frustration. With Swansea ahead on aggregate and the clock ticking down, a ball boy refused to hand over the ball quickly. Hazard tried to kick the ball from under him but ended up kicking the boy instead. He was shown a straight red card. As an odd twist, the ball boy—Charlie Morgan—later became a millionaire as co-founder of AU Vodka.
1. Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer
By Ronnie Macdonald – originally posted to Flickr as Emmanuel Eboue, Sebastien Squillaci and Lee Bowyer, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11819922
Nothing tops what happened in 2005 during Newcastle United’s home match against Aston Villa. After Newcastle had already gone down to ten men, teammates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer started throwing punches at each other in the middle of the pitch. Players from both teams had to break up the fight. The referee had no choice but to send both off, leaving Newcastle to finish the match with eight players in a 3-0 defeat. It remains the most infamous teammate bust-up in Premier League history.
