There’s been a recount in the race for the title of 2008’s most stupid sending off. Ricardo Fuller came close to taking the crown on Sunday when he walked for slapping his team captain. A fabulous effort, but not quite good enough. The winner comes from the Greek Super League, and it’s the match referee who takes all the credit.
Asteras Tripolis midfielder Adrián Bastía was given a straight red card for tripping up the amateurish streaker - he didn’t even bother to take his clothes off!
Bastía’s team-mates protested against the decision; the Panathinaikos players also tried to make the ref see sense, all to no avail.
Ex-Real Madrid midfielder Pablo Gabriel García racked up an alarming 17 bookings in the ‘04-’05 La Liga season. His nickname - El Canario, “The Canary” - has nothing to do with his fondness for seeing yellow, but his birthplace in Uruguay’s Canelones department.
Nonetheless, trouble follows wherever García goes. Now playing for PAOK in Greece, he has already seen two yellow and two red cards in just seven games. And there was a three-game suspension - which ends today - for meting out rough justice in a top-of-the-table clash with Olympiakos.
The off-the-ball scuffle at the start of the video is between Diogo Luis Santo and García. It’s alleged that the Brazilian striker caught García in the face with his elbow. There’s no close-up footage of that incident, but García’s revenge - punching Diogo in the guts - was captured on camera, hence the lengthy ban.