Fabregas, Zidane, Bikey - five of the most bizarre red card incidents in football

After Cesc Fabregas was bizarrely sent off last night against West Brom for kicking the ball at Chris Brunt, we look at a few other strange red cards over the years…

Eden Hazard and the ballboy

Who can forget the famous incident in January 2013 when Eden Hazard controversially kicked Swansea ballboy Charlie Morgan?

The 17-year-old, who labelled himself the “king of all ball boys” on Twitter before the match, appeared to be kicked in the ribs by Eden Hazard. The Belgian international was prevented from retrieving the ball 12 minutes from time in Chelsea’s Capital One Cup semi-final defeat to the Welsh club.

Hazard was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy and apologised to the son of Swansea director Martin Morgan after the match in the Chelsea dressing room.

Zidane headbutt

The 2006 World Cup final was meant to be the perfect ending for France captain Zinedine Zidane and his glittering international career. But one moment of madness led to perhaps the most infamous World Cup sending-off in history.

Zidane headbutted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest in the Olympiastadion in Berlin and was sent off by the referee after the fourth official informed him of the unsavoury incident.

The Frenchman later claimed he was provoked after Materazzi had insulted his mother, though Materazzi told the media a remark about Zidane's sister had been the prompt.

Zidane retired from football after the final, his last moments on a football pitch memorable for the wrong reasons.

Andre Bikey pushing a medic

The Charlton defender, who had spells at Reading, Burnley and Middlesbrough, was sent off in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against Ghana in 2008 for pushing over a Ghanaian stretcher-bearer just seconds before Cameroon were due to qualify.

With Rigobert Song injured, on came the medical team, pushing players out of the way to attend to the player.

But Bikey reacted by pushing back one of the stretcher-bearers - and with considerably more force, sending Samuel Ashia - the medic in question - tumbling. Referee Abderahim El Arjoune immediately showed Bikey a red card as the confused medic and shocked players stood by.

Bikey was subsequently banned from the final and was fined 5,000 US dollars.

Dorchester player-manager sent off for streaker rugby tackle

Dorchester Town striker and player-boss Ashley Vickers was sent off in 2011 for rugby-tackling a streaker on the pitch.

The turf intruder - wearing nothing but a Borat mankini and curly wig - picked his moment during a Blue Square Bet South clash at Havant and Waterlooville but Vickers took mattered into own hands, grabbing him by the shoulders and wrestling him to the floor.

The stewards intervened - to the delight of a crowd of just 458 - but cheers turned to boos as Vickers was dismissed just moments afterwards, "violent disorder" the verdict.

Havant and Waterlooville went on to win the match 3-1.

Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer bust-up

You don't expect to see a fight break out between two ‘team-mates’ on the pitch.  

But that's exactly what happened on April 2, 2005 as Newcastle midfield duo Lee Bowyer and Kieron Byer got involved in a peculiar bust-up on the pitch.

Newcastle were 3-0 down at home to Aston Villa and already down to 10 men just eight minutes from time when one of Villa's players, Gareth Barry, had to pull Bowyer away from the scrap as the pair were both sent off immediately.

Dyer and Bowyer were forced to shake hands and publically apologise after the incident under the instructions of Graeme Souness, Newcastle manager at the time.

Bowyer insisted the incident was a "moment of madness" sparked by a shared desire to win.