Five of the Fiercest Fouls in Football History

In the forceful, fiery and fervent atmosphere of a football fixture, tempers frequently flare up and players fail to control their feelings. Some manage to maintain composure while others are removed by weary managers who sense that the seething anger may be about to boil over. On a few occasions, though, this rage has been allowed to erupt, which has resulted in some devastating challenges. Here is a countdown of five of the worst fouls in football history.   5. Michael Brown on Ryan Giggs 2006 Michael Brown was renowned for being a dirty tackler and committed a number of dangerous challenges to earn red cards during his career. Surprisingly, the referee decided that this offence only warranted a yellow. In the clip, it is evident to see that the Fulham player jumped up and stamped on the legs of Giggs with both feet. Luckily, the Manchester United winger escaped unscathed, and the Red Devils went on to win the match 5-1. This didn’t stop Sir Alex Ferguson from voicing his disdain at the “career-threatening” tackle for which Brown faced no comeuppance.   4. Alan Hutton on Saido Berahino 2015 Hutton’s tackle on Berahino was something you would expect to see in a martial arts film rather than in a football match. The Scottish international didn’t even appear to be going for the ball, and his foot was dangerously high before it struck the West Bromwich Albion player in the midriff. Had the kick landed a little lower it could have been all the more brutal. Shockingly, this challenge was interpreted as a yellow card offence by the referee, and the clash was defended by the Aston Villa manager, Tim Sherwood. Sherwood suggested that Berahino was at fault for “getting in the way” and said that once Hutton had stretched for the ball, there was nothing he could do. Perhaps the manager had a point, but if one were to imagine the footage without a football in play, it would look like the Villa player was blatantly attacking the West Brom man.   3. Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey 2010 At the time of Shawcross’s brutal challenge on Ramsey many were quick to fear the worst. The Welshman’s leg was broken, and it could have spelled the end for a young player that was brimming with potential. At 19 years old, he was already being touted as a future star in Arsenal’s midfield, and the worry that the injury could have ended the player’s dreams made it all the more horrific. The harrowing looks on the faces of the players from both sides summarise the fear felt for the boy’s future. Fortunately, Ramsey managed to recover, and he is now a pivotal cog in the Arsenal machine. Had he not been stunted by that injury, though, he could possibly have reached superstar status by now.   2. Lee Bowyer on Gerardo 2003 It was a tasty environment at Elland Road for Leeds United’s UEFA Cup tie against Malaga, and Bowyer set the tone for the match after only 16 minutes with a malicious act of foul play. The player received a yellow card for the poorly timed challenge, but the match officials failed to notice the Leeds midfielder stamp on Gerardo’s face moments later. Based on retrospective video evidence, UEFA deemed the incident an “act of assault” and “particularly dangerous”. Bowyer received a six-match suspension and moved on to West Ham shortly after.   1. Roy Keane on Alf-Inge Haaland 2001 Roy Keane’s deliberate foul on Haaland is a clear winner in this list because it was a vicious, intentional, act of revenge. Four seasons prior to the tackle that essentially ended the Norwegian’s career, the defender, who at the time played for Manchester United’s bitter enemies, Leeds, had inflicted a cruciate ligament injury on Keane. The United captain had waited a long time to exact vengeance and literally pounced on the opportunity in a Manchester derby in 2001. The Irishman wrote in his biography, The Second Half, that there are “things I regret in my life, and he’s not one of them.” Keane initially received a red card, a three-game suspension, and a fine of £5000. However, when the midfielder’s first autobiography came out, there was a passage relating to the event stating that he had meant to injure Haaland. He was then fined a further £150,000 and served a five-match ban. Horrific injuries are a fact of life in the world of football, but when they are the result of instances of negligence or violence it makes them all the more sickening. With the new football season just around the corner, will anyone fall victim to a tackle that trumps the ones on this list? [su_button url="https://www.ticketgum.com/premier-league-tickets" background="#28356A" size="20" wide="yes" radius="0"]Get Premier League Tickets[/su_button]