Football’s fight club: which players have fallen out with a teammate?

“Idrissa Gueye’s red card for slapping Michael Keane at Old Trafford

fford made me wonder – which other players have put hands on a teammate during a game?” 

We covered this in a question back in 2004 – but 21 years is a long time in football, never mind intersquad violence, so it’s due an upgrade. First, a brief summary of those we mentioned in the 2004 article.

Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan, Charlton v Maidstone, FA Cup, 1978-79

With Charlton chasing a winner against non-league Maidstone in the FA Cup third round, simmering tension between their strike pair of Hales (nickname: Killer) and Flanagan came to the boil. Hales felt Flanagan was passing to him reluctantly, if at all, “so I’ve had a word and hit him one!” Flanagan reciprocated and the pair were sent off.

Craig Levein and Graeme Hogg, Hearts v Raith Rovers, 1994-95

The Hearts defenders were sent off after coming to blows when Raith’s Gordon Dalziel almost scored in a pre-season friendly. Hogg threw the first punch, Levein the last. “Levein threw two haymakers which I can only describe as a superb effort that Mike Tyson would have been proud of,” said Dalziel. “I was killing myself laughing and jokingly gave Hogg the count of 10 as he was flat out. I didn’t realise the severity of the blows or the fact that Levein had actually broken Hogg’s nose.”

Graeme Le Saux and David Batty, Spartak Moscow v Blackburn, 1995-96

Blackburn’s miserable Champions League campaign plumbed the depths in Moscow when Batty and Le Saux argued after going for the same ball. Le Saux tried to punch Batty in the neck before Tim Sherwood intervened. No action was taken by the referee.

Jens Lehmann and Marcio Amoroso, Schalke v Dortmund, 2002-03

In his final season at Dortmund, the usually mild-mannered Lehmann reacted badly to a Schalke goal by trying to strangle his teammate Amoroso. In a hilarious development, the goal that so enraged Lehmann was disallowed for offside. But the violence still counted: Lehmann was sent off.

Now for the more recent incidents, plus one we forgot to mention last time. Lovers of dark comedy will never forget Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer getting physical during Newcastle’s eight-man 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa in April 2005.