10 Most Weird Things That Footballers Have Been Banned For

Football is a passionate game. Sometimes when the match gets intense, the pressure of the game makes the footballers do the silliest things and get reprimanded. We take a look at the top 10 most weird acts for which footballers have been banned for. 10. Jamie Carragher – Throwing a coin Liverpool vs Arsenal, 2002 In an intense FA Cup clash, Jamie Carragher was sent off for a bizarre reason. Arsenal defender Martin Keown had already been sent off for bringing down Owen. Later, the goalscorer Dennis Bergkamp was also sent off for a stamping incident. The Highbury crowd was incensed. In this mess-up, Carragher was struck by a coin from Arsenal supporters. Normally a calm guy, Carragher lost his cool and threw back the coin in a vague direction. Unfortunately, the referee thought it was a serious offence and sent him off. 9. Luis Mourinho – Kicking the mascot Deportivo Pereira vs Junior Barranquilla, 2011 This would go into the books as one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of football. During the match, Barranquilla's lucky mascot, an owl, flew down to the ground with an injured wing. Mourinho was out of his mind to kick the owl, and the kick resulted in the owl's death. Luckily, he escaped jail but was banned for two games and fined $500. In addition to that, he was forced to do community work in a zoo. 8. Lee Boya – Kieran Dyer – Fighting Newcastle United vs Aston Villa, 2005 Fights on the football field are common, but fighting within the team is downright unusual. When Boya did not pass the ball to Dyer, Dyer punched Boya and the two started to fight like children until teammates and opponents stepped in to separate the pair. Both of them were sent off, banned and disciplined by the club. 7. Ashley Vickers – Rugby tackling a fan Dorchester Town vs Havant and Waterlooville, 2011 Ashley Vickers, the captain of Dorchester Town, was involved in an embarrassing incident to be sent off. During the match, a fan invaded the pitch and ran onto the ground dressed up like the movie character Borat. Vickers was furious and rugby tackled the fan so they could get on with the game. Though it was a security lapse to let the fan enter, Vickers was sent off for his behaviour. 6. Paolo D'Acanio – Pushing the referee Sheffield Wednesday vs Arsenal, 1998 Paolo D'Acanio was a very polarizing figure as a player and went beyond the limit in a game against Arsenal, causing a shock amongst the fans. After being sent off, an angry D'Acanio pushed the referee, Paul Alcock, to the floor. For this offense, he was banned for 11 games and fined £10,000. 5. Zinedine Zidane – Headbutt France vs Italy, 2006 This was one of the saddest moments in World Cup history. Playing his last match in the finals of the World Cup, Zidane lost his temper and got himself sent off. After Marco Materazzi said something about Zidane's sister, he went up to him and headbutted him on the chest in retaliation. Zidane had to walk off only to see his team lose out on a second World Cup title, after Italy won in the penalty shootout. 4. Umwepu Ilunga – Kicking the ball Zaire vs Brazil, 1974 Playing the World Cup after a surprise qualification, Zaire had lost all their games before playing Brazil. During the match, Brazil was awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Before Brazil could take the kick, Ilunga raced from the wall and kicked the ball down the other end of the ground, only to be booked by the referee. 3. Paul Gascoigne – Booking the referee Rangers vs Hibernian, 1995 This was one of the most bizarre bookings in Gascoigne's career. He noticed that referee, Dougie Smith, had dropped his yellow card. Gascoigne picked up the card and jokingly booked the referee before giving it back to him. But Smith booked Gascoigne for real, and since it was the 10th yellow card of the season for Gascoigne, he was banned for two games. 2. Eric Cantona – Kung Fu Kick Manchester United vs Crystal Palace, 1995 Eric Cantona, the king of Old Trafford, was also one who wore his emotions on his sleeve. During an intense match against Crystal Palace, he had been sent off and was already quite worked up. Adding fuel to the fire, a Crystal Palace fan abused Cantona, only to see the Frenchman flying at him with a Kung Fu kick in retaliation. That kick saw Cantona banned for nine months, but it also cemented his legendary status among the Old Trafford faithful. 1. Luis Suarez – Biting Besides topping the goalscorers list, he's also on top of this list as well. Not once, not twice, but thrice has he been banned for biting the opposition players. 1. Ajax vs PSV, 2010 After an argument with PSV's Otman Bakal, Suarez sunk his teeth into his shoulders. Suarez was sent off and banned for seven games. Incidentally, that was his last match for Ajax as he joined Liverpool shortly after the incident. 2. Liverpool vs Chelsea, 2013 Yes, it was Suarez again who bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. When Ivanovic got close to him inside the box, Suarez immediately bit Ivanovic's hand. This time he was banned for 10 games. 3. Uruguay vs Italy, 2014 Everyone remembers when he sank his teeth into Giorgio Chiellini in the 2014 World Cup when Uruguay met Italy. The striker was banned for four months as a result.