Andy Halliday and 6 Other Crazy Red Cards in World Football
Rangers restored their five-point lead atop the Scottish Championship with a win over Greenock Morton on Monday, but the Glasgow giants left the match feeling harshly treated by a case of curious officiating.
After the visitors doubled their lead in the 70th minute, referee Barry Cook showed Andy Halliday a yellow card for pumping a celebratory fist in front of Morton's supporters. The gesture held no malice, but it was Halliday's second booking of the night, and Cook subsequently sent him off.
That strange dismissal prompted this slideshow, which features some of the craziest red cards in recent times. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments.
Andy Halliday
1 of 7
As noted in the previous slide, Halliday saw red on Monday after celebrating Rangers' second goal in front of the opposition's fans. While some might consider his actions mildly provocative, a raised fist is hardly an offensive gesture.
On the contrary, countless footballers have celebrated goals in similar style over the years.
With that in mind, it was no surprise that both Halliday and his manager, Mark Warburton, were confused by the dismissal.
"I've been told that the player was sent off for making an offensive gesture which had incited the Morton fans," Warburton said, per Stephen McGowan at the Scottish Daily Mail. "I'm sure you've all seen it. We've all seen it."
With only a touch of sarcasm, Warburton added: "The player made that fatal mistake of celebrating the second goal. It was scandalous behaviour on his part."
Chris Baird
2 of 7
When a referee sends off a player for a second booking, it rarely warrants more than a passing mention. But while that's a common occurrence in football, the case of Chris Baird was unusual in the extreme.
In September 2015, Baird's Northern Ireland faced Hungary in a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier in Belfast. With his side losing 1-0, Baird drew a red card after picking up two bookings in the space of a few seconds.
The entire incident happened in the 81st minute, when referee Cuneyt Cakir showed Baird one yellow card and then another, followed by a red. According to BBC Sport, Cakir told Northern Ireland that Baird had committed two bookable fouls in the same sequence of play. Manager Michael O'Neill wasn't buying it.
"Chris would not have made the second tackle if he knew he was being booked for the first," O'Neill said. "I've never seen that before in a game in all my life."
Fortunately for Baird, Northern Ireland recovered to claim a 1-1 draw and later qualified for the final tournament.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
3 of 7
During a March 2014 match between Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League, referee Andre Marriner sent off Gunners defender Kieran Gibbs after the ball had been handled in front of his side's goal.
What's the problem, then? As anyone who was watching the game knew immediately, Gibbs had nothing to do with the infraction. Rather, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the guilty party.
Ox promptly approached Marriner and admitted his guilt, but the referee persisted in sending off Gibbs. He later copped to his mistake, but that was little consolation for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who oversaw a 6-0 defeat in his 1,000th game in charge.
Jamie Carragher
4 of 7
In January 2002, Arsenal exacted revenge upon Liverpool for defeat in the previous season's FA Cup final, winning a tense fourth-round match 1-0. Three players were sent off, with Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp and Martin Keown seeing red along with Liverpool's Jamie Carragher.
It's Carragher's dismissal that concerns us here. After Bergkamp received his marching orders for a studs-up challenge on Carragher, a fan at Highbury threw a coin at the Liverpool man. Carragher hurled it back, drawing a red card of his own from referee Mike Riley.
"I was wrong and as a professional football player I should have known better," a clearly contrite Carragher said, per Sky Sports. "It's a mistake I won't make again."
Javier Mascherano
5 of 7
World Cup qualifiers can be tempestuous affairs in South America, and a June 2013 match between Argentina and Ecuador was no exception.
After picking up an injury in the 87th minute of a 1-1 match, Argentina's Javier Mascherano left the pitch on a motorized cart. What happened next was both surreal and silly.
As replays showed, one of the medics squirted water at Mascherano as he lay on the cart. The Argentina midfielder responded with a kick to the offender. Referee Enrique Caceres flashed the red card, and curiously, Mascherano was quickly on his feet to protest.
He later took to Twitter to say sorry, writing (h/t Daily Telegraph): "I really apologize for the reaction I had, nothing justifies this. Great team work and effort!!"
Josip Simunic
6 of 7
The reputation of English officials took a hit at the 2006 FIFA World Cup after referee Graham Poll awarded a player three yellow cards in a single match.
During a wild 2-2 draw between Croatia and Australia, Poll booked Croatia's Josip Simunic twice during the 90 minutes but neglected to send him off. After the final whistle, Simunic argued with Poll, who finally sent off the defender after showing him a third yellow card.
At the Guardian, Sean Ingle opined: "Both FIFA and Poll were unavailable for comment after last night's game. But the bookmaker Corals is offering odds of 10-1 against Poll refereeing another match at the World Cup. On last night's evidence that looks distinctly ungenerous."
Poll retired from the international game a week later.
Eden Hazard
7 of 7
In January 2013, Chelsea visited Swansea City for a Capital One Cup semi-final at the Liberty Stadium. In a bizarre incident along the touchline, Eden Hazard got himself sent off after kicking out at a ballboy.
It happened in the 80th minute, when ballboy Charlie Morgan refused to return the ball to play quickly after it had gone out. Instead, he threw his body on the ball, much to Hazard's annoyance.
The Chelsea man kicked the ball—or the ballboy, depending on your viewpoint—and was immediately sent off by referee Chris Foy. Morgan, who had boasted about time-wasting before the match, had his 15 minutes of fame, and Hazard had to say sorry.
"The boy put his whole body on to the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball," the Belgian told Chelsea TV (h/t BBC Sport). "I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise."
Swansea won the match 2-0 and later lifted the cup at Wembley.
