World Cup Red Cards: The Moments of Madness
In the latest instalment of our World Cup blog, we look back at some of the times when players were given marching orders whilst playing for their countries. Those moments of madness when tempers get the better of players, and they react with petulant kicks, terrible tackles and even headbutts!
Most Memorable Red Cards In The World Cup
Being sent off is the ultimate punishment in football. Not only do you have the humiliation of leaving the field of play early, but you also add pressure on your teammates, who have the disadvantage of playing with a man down. Some red cards can be given for petty reasons, while other incidents probably deserve two red cards because of the severity of the offence. Join us as we remember some of the most famous World Cup red cards.
World Cup Red Cards: Kaka (2010)
Kaka is renowned for being a peace-loving soul, a very soft-spoken and extremely talented Brazilian midfielder who graced the footballing scene. The maestro is not known for full-blooded tackles and is rarely involved in the nasty business of the pitch, occasionally exploring in the attack for goals.
The 2010 World Cup saw Brazil start the tournament brightly, winning their first two games against North Korea and Ivory Coast before drawing the final game against Portugal but eventually winning the group. Their adventures did not last long; however, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands.
Kaka was the star of the team, and the second game of the group stage against Ivory Coast is what we will focus on.
Kaka, the Footballer of the Year in 2007, had been suffering from poor form but was playing well. He made the assist for Luis Fabiano’s first goal and played his part in Elano’s second-half strike.
Kaka was already on a yellow card in what was a bad-tempered match. However, Ivorian midfielder Kader Keita decided to just run into Kaka and then fell to the floor. The referee issued another yellow, and he was off.
In our World Cup red cards list, this is probably the most underserving of red cards given. You only need to watch watch Kaka’s face as he trotted off the pitch to see how bemused he was about the decision.
World Cup Red Cards: Thierry Henry (2002)
France came into the World Cup 2002 as the defending Champions after triumphing in the 1998 edition. However, they started the campaign on an all-time low losing 1 – 0 to World Cup debutants Senegal.
In the second match against Uruguay, they were expected to recover from the upset, but Thierry Henry was shown a red card on twenty-five minutes for a hard tackle after he tried to recover the ball when he lost it on the counter-attack.
The defending Champions had to battle for sixty-five minutes with ten men. The disappointment extended to the last game when the Les Blues lost the final match 2 – 0 to Denmark to finish bottom of the table without a single goal.
The Arsenal striker was among the most iconic players in the team; thus, his absence went a long way in condemning France to an early and disappointing exit when they couldn’t even make it out of the group stages.
At club level, Thierry’s Arsenal won the FA Cup, but finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League.
World Cup Red Cards: Battle of Nuremberg (2006)
The 2006 World Cup round of 16 tie between Netherlands and Portugal was the occasion for the highest number of cards in a single match played in Germany. World Cup betting fans who had backed players to be booked or sent off would have had a field day.
The Russian referee Valentin Ivanov issued four red and sixteen yellow cards on five Dutch players and eleven Portuguese players, a number which still stands as a record for the most Fifa red cards in a single match. The referee was later criticised by the FIFA President at the time Sepp Blatter who suggested the Russian should have given himself a yellow card.
The worst of the tackles in the match was Khalid Boulahrouz, who injured Cristiano Ronaldo and limped off in tears. The Dutch defender was among the players sent off alongside Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Midfielder Costinha and Deco were sent off for Portugal, who made the most fouls protecting their 1 – 0 win to move to the quarter-finals courtesy of Maniche’s strike.
World Cup Red Cards: Rijkaard and Voller (1990)
Germany and the Netherlands football rivalry started in the 1974 World Cup final, where West Germany triumphed against the Dutch, named the ‘mother of all defeats’. The 1990 World Cup round of 16 matches was a bad-tempered affair filled with emotion as the Netherlands were looking for revenge.
The game was spicy on the pitch and in the stands from the start, with Holland fans unfurling a giant banner comparing the German captain Lothar Matthaus to Adolf Hitler. The game’s highlight was Rudi Voller, and Frank Rijkaard indulged in a famous spat (fitting choice of words) that saw both players sent off. However, the most heinous act that made Rijkaard the worst villain by the footballers’ code is that the Dutchman spat into Voller’s face as he ran past him.
Shortly after, Voller was involved in a challenge on the Netherlands’ keeper that saw Rijkaard approach him and pinch his ear. As Voller stands up, Rijkaard stamps on his foot, and Voller hits the deck.
Somehow the referee decided both players were guilty and sent them both off. For Voller, It was another example of Fifa World Cup red cards that should never have been shown.
— 🔥 Frank Rijkaard Career Rijkaard was sent off in the 1990 World Cup
World Cup Red Cards: Josip Simunic (2006)
The Croatian player and current Croatia under-19 team coach was a lucky man in his playing days.
The referee, Graham Poll, took centre stage in a highly intense match between Australia and Croatia. Croatia needed a win to qualify for the knockout stages, while a draw was enough for Australia.
Croatia was 2 – 1 ahead at the hour mark and was on course to qualify ahead of their rivals, but Harry Kewell’s seventy-ninth-minute goal raised the emotions in the match. The referee handed three red cards in the final ten minutes, but the one that got attention was the ninetieth-minute red card to Josip Simunic. The defender had already been shown two yellow cards without sending off the defender.
Any normal player would have counted himself lucky that the referee had made a mistake, but such was his determination to ‘push’ his luck that he shoved the referee and was eventually sent off. Therefore, he is the most booked man in a single match with three yellow cards and one red card.
World Cup Red Cards: John Heitinga (2010)
The Netherlands has been an impressive force for many years in the World Cup but has yet to win the trophy. Therefore, reaching the World Cup finals in 2010 was an excellent chance to claim their first title. In that final, they were to face Spain. The Dutch had a superior attack than their opponents and were hopeful they could end the wait for the title.
The occasion was eventful, with the referee dishing out nine yellow cards that resulted in FIFA fining both the finalists for indiscipline.
Two of the bookings were handed to Holland defender John Heitinga who was sent off in the 109th minute. The repercussions of his actions saw his nation lose the prestigious trophy as seven minutes later, Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal to grant Spain the victory.
The Dutch hearts were broken for the third time after losing the 1974 and 1978 finals. We can only speculate on what could have happened if Heitinga had kept his cool. John Heitinga is currently Jong Ajax’s manager, Ajax’s reserve team, and his son is a promising footballer. We just hope he has taught him to count to ten before he reacts!
— 🔥 John Heitinga Son Can Heitinga’s son keep his cool, unlike his father?
World Cup Red Cards: Luis Suarez (2010)
Of all the World Cup red cards we feature, Luis Suarez’s was so controversial that it made an entire continent turn against the former Liverpool player. However, it’s doubtful that the player cared that much as he was the one celebrating in the end.
Footballing legend Pelle predicted that Africa would win the World Cup in his lifetime. However, by the 2010 edition, no African team had ever been to the tournament’s semi-finals; thus, a whole continent rallied behind Ghana when they played Uruguay in the quarter-finals.
The scores were tied at 1 – 1 even in extra time, with Ghana dominating proceedings deep in the South American territory for the majority of extra time, relentlessly searching for the winning goal.
Dominic Adiyiah headed goalwards in what looked to be the breakthrough, with the ball heading towards the goal. However, Luis Suarez was on the goal line and stuck a hand out to deny the almost certain goal, and he received his marching orders.
Instead of heading to the changing room, Suarez watched the spot-kick from the sidelines and celebrated wildly when Asamoah Gyan’s powerful shot hit the bar. A deflated Ghana team would then lose in the penalty shoot-out.
Who says cheats don’t prosper? Suarez will feel his red card was a price worth paying.
World Cup Red Cards: Wayne Rooney (2006)
A red card that featured in all the newspaper columns as it was between two of the greatest players in the world at that moment, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When Portugal was scheduled to play England in the quarter-final tie of the 2006 World Cup, there was a lot of hype on who would outshine the other between the two Manchester United stars.
However, a different moment between Rooney and Ricardo Carvalho took centre stage, where the Englishman stamped on the defender’s tender regions. By today’s standards, it was a definite red card, but almost 20 years ago, a warning wouldn’t have been a surprise, and even today, Rooney maintains, it was a complete accident.
However, Ronaldo’s reaction and emphasis that the challenge was worthy of a sending-off prompted the referee to give Rooney his marching orders.
If that’s not enough, his Manchester United partner was seen winking at the Portugal bench, making this the coldest betrayal between teammates ever to be seen in a World Cup game.
However, once back at Manchester, the incident was forgotten, and they went on to win the 2006-07 Premier League trophy side by side.
World Cup Red Cards: Zinedine Zidane (2006)
Perhaps the most famous sending-off features the maverick French genius Zidane in the all-important title-deciding game of the 2006 World Cup against Italy that Germany hosted.
Zizou was among the stars who had led Les Blues to victory in the 1998 World Cup and was one of the remaining stars from that triumph to feature in this edition, even captaining the tournament’s favourite team to win the title.
The game started well, Zidane scoring from the penalty spot to put France ahead before Marco Materazzi, the other famous figure in this final, scored the equalising goal with a header from a corner kick.
Then came the moment of madness when Zidane headbutted the chest of Materazzi after a bitter exchange of words with the Italian said to have mentioned the Frenchman’s sister in an insult. Of course, it is noble to defend a family member, but by the rules of the game.
A straight red card is a reward for such an action which ultimately cost France their leader and most clinical finisher from the penalty spot. Italy went ahead to win the game from the penalty spot, with Zidane ending his career on a sour note and his moment of madness costing his nation the World Cup trophy.
World Cup Red Cards: David Beckham (1998)
‘Ten Brave Lions, one stupid boy’ was the headline in England after Beckham was given his marching orders in their round of sixteen game against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. The floppy-haired English midfielder started the competition brightly, coming from the bench to score a free-kick against Colombia, earning him a place in the starting eleven for the game against Argentina.
The future England captain had the highest number of assists (thirteen) in the Premier League than any other player in the 1997-98 season.
Argentina had scored first from the spot through Gabriel Batistuta, but the three Lions scored twice before the South Americans levelled the game to 2 – 2.
Beckham was fouled by Diego Simeone and, in retaliation, kicked the Argentine, who made the most of the petulant kick and fell to the floor in front of the referee, who had no hesitation in brandishing the red card.
England lost the match 4 – 3 on penalties to be knocked out of the competition. However, Argentina only played one more game, and they were knocked out 2-1 by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Beckham was vilified on his return to England. Effigies of the Manchester United players were burnt at several football grounds around the country.
— 🔥 Beckham Lashes Out Beckham sent off against Argentina
This year’s tournament starts on November 21, 2022 and don’t forget you can find out all you need to know about World Cup betting on our dedicated page. Join us once the tournament starts for betting tips and match previews.
