The weirdest red cards in football including Eden Hazard getting his marching orders for kicking a ball boy in the stomach

Over the years, football fans have been stunned by the strangest red cards.

Here are 12 bizarre reds handed out by overzealous and offended referees.

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EDEN DANGER, 2013

In a League Cup semi-final second leg, Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard was in a rush to snatch the ball that had gone wide, with Chelsea trailing Swansea by two goals and 80 minutes to go.

However, it was snapped first by an enthusiastic ball boy, who jumped on it after wrestling.

Fuming Hazard took the law into his own hands and kicked the boy in the stomach to release the ball. He later said he tried to kick it out of the boy’s hand.

However, the referee wasn’t amused and the Real Madrid star was sent through the tunnel.

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DION CHARLES, 2023

Most recently, Dion Charles saw red when he was an innocent bystander.

The Bolton Wanderers striker from Northern Ireland was sent off in League One against Forest Green Rovers.

His Bolton teammate Elias Kachunga was actually the culprit.

He was seen punching Forest Green defender Brandon Cooper in the stomach.

Instead of heading straight for Kachunga, who the video proved to be the perpetrator, referee Tom Nield walked over to Charles instead.

The prolific striker drank some water on the touchline when the official showed him the red card, causing great confusion.

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JEAN FERNANDES, 2021

Goalkeeper Jean Fernandes received his marching orders in the Paraguay Super Cup final for an obscene cutthroat gesture towards opposing fans.

The Cerro Porteno goalkeeper had just reached the goal to prepare for the start of the game against Olimpia in the Paraguay Supercup final when he was filmed turning to the crowd and executing the quick hand gesture.

And the madness didn’t stop in Croatia, where Dinamo Zagreb star Bruno Petkovic received a second yellow card for mistaking a penalty and stuttering his run-up.

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JAMIE CARRAGHER, 2002

Liverpool met Arsenal in a miserable FA Cup tie that saw Martin Keown sent off first.

But the crown went haywire when Dennis Bergkamp joined him after committing an ugly two-footed lunge

Coins were thrown onto the field, one of which hit Jamie Carragher in the head.

The Reds defender tossed the coin back into the crowd and was sent off by Mike Riley.

He apologized and avoided an FA fine but was warned by the police.

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ROBIN VAN PERSIE, 2011

With nearly 100,000 fans in the stands, it can be difficult to hear the referee’s whistle.

And that’s exactly what happened to ex-gunner Robin Van Persie when he was sent off against Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 at the Camp Nou.

Arsenal were 1-1 when the Dutchman missed a shot when he was flagged for offside.

Although there was a second between Van Persie touching the ball and the referee’s whistle, he inexplicably received a second yellow for kicking the ball away.

Now Feyernoord coach Van Persie could be seen pointing to his ears and explaining he hadn’t heard anything. He later described the decision as a “joke”.

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NEYMAR, 2011

The PSG forward isn’t averse to celebrating his goals with some pride.

This time, however, he went a little too far in the eyes of one referee when he played for Santos in a Copa Libertadores draw against Chile’s Colo Colo as a teenager.

After scoring in an excellent solo run, he snatched a mask of his own face from a fan in the stands and carried it on.

He received a second yellow card from an unimpressed official for breaking a rule.

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EDIN DZEKO, 2016

The former Manchester City ace’s odd offense came on international duty for Bosnia in a World Cup qualifier against Greece.

Dzeko was brought down by former Arsenal defender Sokratis and was upset when the Greek legend snatched the ball away from him.

So, quite brilliantly, he decided to pull down the centre-back’s shorts, leading to a scuffle among the players.

After it calmed down, Dzeko was asked to get out by an irate ref.

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JAVIER MASCHERANO, 2013

The Argentine hardman has had a number of red cards in his career that were certainly more obvious. But this one was a little different.

Mascherano played for his country against Ecuador, with the Argies chasing a win with a draw.

He went down injured and had to leave the field for treatment, so paramedics put him on a trolley.

Someone apparently tried to throw water at the former West Ham man, who decided to step on the paramedic – and hit him on the shoulder.

Mascherano later said he was just trying to let the paramedic know he was speeding and felt like he was falling off the cart.

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EDINSON CAVANI, 2014

Cavani got caught in the crossfire of a strange referee’s decision while playing for PSG in a game against Lens.

It all unfolded after the Uruguayan scored a penalty and celebrated his signature sniper rifle celebration.

That didn’t sit well with the officer who booked him. When Cavani then reproached him, he received a second yellow card for an argument.

PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi couldn’t believe it and asked after the game if the celebration had been so bad why Cavani had never been in trouble.

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KIERAN GIBBS, 2014

It was a case of mistaken identity for Gibbs in a game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge who literally did it NOTHING not correct.

A shot from Eden Hazard was knocked around the post by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the Blues were awarded a penalty.

But referee Andre Marriner sent off his team-mate Kieran Gibbs instead, much to the bewilderment of the Gunners stars and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who immediately stood by his deliberate handball.

Marriner was forced to humbly apologize while Gibbs’ red card was annulled.

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ADAM LINDIN LJUNGKVIST, 2016

Flatulence defeated Ljungkvist while playing for Pershagen SK, a lower division club in Sweden, against local rivals Jarna SK.

In fact, the referee was so horrified that he farted on the pitch that he gave him two yellow cards.

Ljungkvist blamed a bad stomach while the referee said he had been sent off for “deliberate provocation and unsportsmanlike conduct”.

Opponent Kristoffer Linde confirmed after the game that he heard Ljungkvist’s fart from a distance.

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DAVID ABRAHAM, 2019

Not only was former Eintracht Frankfurt Abraham sent off, he was banned for seven weeks for his misconduct.

When his team lost 1-0 to Freiburg a few minutes before the end, he took the ball from fellow coach Christian Streich and knocked it over like a bowling ball.

The Freiburg stars were furious and chased Abraham across the pitch.

After the dust settled, he was shown red for the incident.

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