“Has a player ever been sent off, then sent off again in their first match back after suspension? Assuming this has happened many times, has a player ever seen red in three consecutive games for which they were eligible? What’s the record?” asks James McWilliam Woods.
Until 2004, suspensions in English football did not begin until 14 days after the relevant offence took place. That led to a couple of famous examples of players being sent off a second time before they had begun the suspension for their first red card.
In the space of four days in March 1994, Manchester United’s Eric Cantona was sent off at Swindon (for stamping on John Moncur) and Arsenal (for two yellow cards, the second absurdly harsh – though the first would be a straight red these days). He played the next two matches, too, before his suspension kicked in, but was on his best behaviour. United’s season almost collapsed in Cantona’s absence, but when he returned, he inspired them to their first ever Double.
Six years later, at the start of the 2000-01 season, Patrick Vieira was sent off in the opening two matches – Sunderland away on Saturday (for clouting Darren Williams after being fouled), then Liverpool at home on Monday (for two yellow cards in four minutes, the second absurdly harsh).
Five days later, Vieira – who like Cantona had been expected to quit English football in a huff – felt the love of Highbury and scored twice in a 5-3 win over Charlton. After the first goal he took his shirt off and should technically have been booked, referees not always the best at reading the room, but on this occasion Stephen Lodge let Vieira off. Miserably, the FA then charged Lodge with a “technical irregularity” and he didn’t referee another game for three weeks.
Eanna Mac Craith writes in with the farcical tale of Nigel Pepper, an, ahem, unfettered midfielder who joined Aberdeen from Bradford during the 1998-99 season. A few months later, Pepper came on as substitute with Aberdeen trailing 2-0 at home to Celtic. Within six minutes he was sent off for a lively tackle on Regi Blinker, and Celtic went on to win 5-1. (Contrary to received wisdom and, er, our archive, this wasn’t his Aberdeen debut.)
Pepper returned from suspension at home to Dundee United a month later, and came on with his side already 4-0 down. Within a minute – some reports say he lasted just 17 seconds – Pepper wiped out Siggi Jonsson and was given a straight red card.
The New York Red Bulls defender Carlos Johnson did something similar in April 2009, when he was sent off after two minutes on his return to the side following an earlier red card. In December 2016, meanwhile, Preston’s Jermaine Beckford managed to last three minutes on his return. At the start of the month he’d been sent off for trying to fight his teammate Eoin Doyle in a game against Sheffield Wednesday. He then returned on Boxing Day against his old club Leeds, and kicked Kyle Bartley in the face shortly after coming on as substitute.
Answering players sent off in successive matches - Jake Clarke-Salter on loan to Sunderland saw a direct red v Middlesbrough in Feb 2018 then had two yellow cards in his first game back v Preston
— Graham Brack (@GrahamBrack) April 1, 2023
Impressive though all these transgressions are, they can’t compete with a remarkable tale from Norway: four days, three red cards. “Agim Shabani was sent off three times in three consecutive matches for Fredrikstad back in 2007,” notes Bjorn Barang. “And it happened in four days! He was sent off in the Tippeliga for the first team on Sunday, in 2.division for the reserve side on Monday and then again for the first team on Wednesday in the Cup! One-match bans only apply for the competition where you’re sent off. Surely a record!”
Shabani, a teenage defender, was sent off for, in chronological order, a professional foul, handball on the line and two yellow cards. He’s the Lupe Vélez of football.
Ten men, no problem
“In the recent Fenerbahce-Besiktas match, after going 1-0 down and having a player sent off, Besiktas scored four goals and eventually won 4-2,” writes Bogdan Kotarlic. “It makes me wonder which team has scored most goals with one of their players sent off.”
Let’s open the bidding at four, specifically the night that Spurs added a Y to their name for eternity. In 2004, they were 3-0 up at half-time in an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Manchester City, who were also down to 10 men after Joey Barton was sent off for being Joey Barton, as the teams left the pitch for the interval. You probably know the rest.
A couple of years later, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, in their imperial phase, gave one of their greatest performances. In April 2006 they were wobbling ever so slightly in the title race when they played at home to West Ham, who took an early lead through James Collins. The on-loan midfielder Maniche was then sent off for a bad tackle on some bloke called Lionel Scaloni, but instead of feeling the pressure, Chelsea were inspired: they routed West Ham 4-1 and went on to retain the title with ease.
Four goals with 10 men is good. Six is even better. “It’s not a sending off but …” begins Russell Turner. “In a second division fixture between Charlton and Huddersfield at The Valley on 21 December 1957, Charlton captain Derek Ufton dislocated his shoulder after 17 minutes and had to be taken to hospital. No substitutes were allowed at the time, so Charlton played the remaining 73 minutes with 10 men.
“Charlton were 5-1 down after 62 minutes, but went on to win 7-6 (the only time in Football League history that a side scored six goals and lost a match). Johnny Summers scored five for Charlton and Johnny Ryan two, including the winner with the last kick of the match from a Summers cross. The match has its own Wikipedia page.”
Knowledge archive
“Having just read about Southend’s 3-2 victory at Swansea despite having had three men sent off, this set me wondering if it was a unique achievement,” emailed Dave Chamberlain in 2004. “Or has any team won by a greater margin, or with fewer men?”
Iain McCluskey told us the same sort of thing happened in 1999 at a Scottish Cup game between Arbroath and Partick Thistle. “Thistle had three men sent off and won the game 2-1 – the last minutes were the most comical moments of football I’ve ever seen, with the whole Thistle team defending on their own goal line.”
And the tales of multiple sendings-off wouldn’t have been complete without the mandatory southern American dust-up. Daniel Tunnard reminded us of Cienciano’s meeting with River Plate in the final of 2003’s Copa Sudamericana. For lowly Cienciano, this was one of those “do it for pride” moments; for River, a walk in the park.
Things didn’t look good when Cienciano found themselves down to 10 men, but they amazed everyone by taking an 83rd-minute lead. And just as the crowd were gathering their jaws from the floor, Cienciano found themselves with eight on the pitch to defend their fragile lead. But this they did, and Cienciano walked away with the Cup.
Can you help?
“Crystal Palace were 12th in the Premier League table from 4 January to 8 April,” writes Philip Cornwall. “Has any side ever spent longer in the same position outside the top or bottom three?”
“What with the Andy Robertson shenanigans at the weekend, has a referee had to caution or send off one of their assistants?” wonders John Hilditch. “And is there anything in the rules to say they can or cannot do so?”
@TheKnowledge_GU Charlton have scored six at home this weekend for the first time since 1976, a gap of 47 years. Has there ever been a longer gap in between scoring six at home for any club?
— Steve Carr (@EveryRecord) April 3, 2023
Follow on question: Does any club have a record winning score below six goals scored?
“In each of Stuttgart’s four matches in this season’s German Cup they have had a different manager,” mails Kári Tulinius. “First round: Pellegrino Materazzo. Second round: Michael Wimmer. Round of 16: Bruno Labbadia. Quarter-finals: Sebastian Hoeneß. Is this a record?”
“What’s the longest list that can be made for a single player of played-for clubs (excluding loans if necessary) that falls in alphabetical order?” asks Michael Avilés.
Which FIFA nations have not had a player in the premiership?
— Jon (@welshjon58) April 11, 2023
“There are 35 points between Notts County (second) and Eastleigh (seventh), with both teams on course for a National League playoff spot,” notes Nick Jones. “Has there ever been a greater points gap between playoff teams?”
Everyone is aware of the fact that both Wrexham and Notts county have over a hundred points but what's the highest points total of the top two teams in a fully professional league?
— Bernard Carthy (@CarthyBernard) April 11, 2023
“Earlier this season Ipswich and Charlton were level at 2-2 going into injury time,” recalls Julian Germain. “Ipswich then scored twice to seemingly seal the win, only for Charlton to pull one back, then equalise in the 98th minute. Is four stoppage-time goals a record for one match?”
Craig Shakespeare came back to Leicester as assistant manager, after being full time manager of the club in the past. Is there any other full time managers(not caretakers), who would come back to same club as assistants? In England or in the world?
— Alex Shwartser (@lemmacantor11) April 11, 2023
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