A few got it all wrong at Cup

Hitting the headlines for those silly antics

FROM Luis Suarez’s teeth to Roy Keane storming out on the Republic of Ireland and Toni Schumacher pole-axing Patrick Battiston in ‘82, AFP Sport looks at a few bad boys in World Cup history: Battiston lost two teeth, cracked three ribs and was left unconscious after Schumacher’s hip smashed into his face in the semifinal of the 1982 tournament in Spain.

The German, who to this day insists he was going for the ball and is still an unpopular name in France, escaped a booking and showed no remorse as West Germany won the match 5-4 on penalties, as it had finished 3-3 after extra-time.

A record four red and 16 yellow cards were shown during ‘the Battle of Nuremberg’ when Portugal beat the Netherlands 10 in the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup. Boulahrouz was booked for a studs up tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo, which forced the Portugal superstar off, and was sent off for a second yellow in the second half.

Amidst the carnage, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, plus Portugal’s Deco and Costinha all received double yellow cards while Luis Figo was booked for head-butting Marc van Bommel.

De Jong’s flying kick landed on Xabi Alonso’s chest in the 2010 World Cup final, dubbed the ‘Battle of Johannesburg’, earned the Dutchman a yellow card and warning from English ref Howard Webb in another bad-tempered display by the ‘Oranje’.

The kung-fu kick set the tone for a brutal final as the Dutch earned nine yellow cards, including a pair shown to John Heitinga, who was sent off in extra time. The Spanish, themselves no angels with five yellow cards, took the trophy when Andres Iniesta slammed home the extra-time winner.

The key moment of the 2006 World Cup final came in extra time when Zidane’s sudden head-butt floored Materazzi.

Zidane was apparently retaliating for a verbal provocation. But reports differ as to what Materazzi actually said that triggered the attack and saw the French legend sent off on 110 minutes in his last international. Italy won the final 5-3 on penalties Beckham was sent off for a petulant kick aimed at Argentina captain Diego Simeone, who had just clattered England’s midfield ace, early in the second-half of the quarterfinal defeat in the 1998 finals. It finished 2-2 after extra time before England lost 4-3 on penalties, but for Beckham the ordeal was just beginning. The Manchester United star bore the brunt of a national outcry on his return to England and “God Forgives Even David Beckham” appeared on a poster pleading for clemency. — AFP