Top 10 Most Violent Football Matches Ever
#10: The Battle of Nuremberg
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2006
With the technical beauty of the Netherlands taking on the flair extraordinaires in Portugal in the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, fans were excited about the skills they would see. Instead, they saw a shambles. The match equaled the record of bookings in a World Cup game with 16 and set a new one for red cards with four! Portugal’s Costinha and Deco, alongside Netherlands’s Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst were those sent off. We wouldn’t be surprised if referee Valentin Ivanov had a repetitive strain injury from holding up so many cards. Even though Maniche gave Portugal the win, this match is better remembered for its chaos.
#9: The Battle of Highbury
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1934
In 1934, Italy was riding high after winning the World Cup against Czechoslovakia. Their first game after was taking on England at Arsenal’s Highbury stadium in London. While the match was friendly, there was nothing relaxed about this exhibition game. England, who refused to be at the World Cup, thought of themselves as the best in the world. So, when they took on a team that was that, they didn’t hold back and won three-two. However, there were many injuries, and tempers flared. For England, Eddie Hapgood’s nose was broken, Bowden injured his ankle, Eric Brook had a fractured arm, Ted Drake’s leg was cut, and he was punched in the jaw. For Italy, Luis Monti suffered a broken foot. Yikes.
#8: The Battle of Lusail
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2022
Whenever there’s a record involving discipline at the World Cup, the Netherlands seems to often be involved. This time, the Europeans took on Argentina in the quarter-final of the 2022 event in Qatar. While Argentina would win on penalties after a two-two draw, it was the aggressive behavior of the nations that was the biggest talking point. A record 18 yellow cards were issued in the game! The Netherlands picked up eight, including – amazingly – the only red after a second yellow for Denzel Dumfries. While Argentine players also picked up eight, with their manager Lionel Scaloni and assistant Walter Samuels also getting in on the yellow action, giving them ten altogether.
#7: The Intercontinental Fiasco
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1969
The Intercontinental Cup was a fun tournament that had the best clubs in South America taking on their counterparts in Europe. But sometimes, talent went out the window in favor of dirty tactics. In 1969, Italy’s AC Milan faced Argentina’s Estudiantes in the second leg after winning the first three-nil. Even before the match, Milan was pelted with balls and had coffee poured on them. When it started, it got worse. Milan’s Pierino Prati was assaulted by goalkeeper Alberto José Poletti. While Néstor Combin, who played for France but was born in Argentina, had his nose broken. He was arrested for draft dodging afterward but later released. Estudiantes’s Poletti, Ramón Aguirre Suárez, and Eduardo Luján Manera were charged and received bans for their actions.
#6: The Battle of Montevideo
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1967
With the first and second legs resulting in a two-two aggregate scoreline between Scotland’s Celtic and Arangina’s Racing Club in the 1967 Intercontinental Cup, a play-off was issued to find a winner. Taking place in Uruguay’s Montevideo, this was a real battle. Within the first half, a melee erupted between the sides, requiring the riot police to calm things down. This caused one player to be sent off from both sides. For the second half, Racing Club had one, while Celtic had three players sent off. However, Bertie Auld refused to leave. He continued playing, and the ref didn’t realize. Tommy Gemmil also booted a player “downstairs,” which the referee also missed. The riot police even returned near the end. What a mess.
#5: The Rampage of Elizabeth Lambert
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2009
In 2009, Elizabeth Lambert took the internet by storm with her outrageous performance. Dubbed “Ponytail Girl,” she was playing for the University of New Mexico in a Mountain West Conference semi-final match against Brigham Young University. Highlights include her hitting a player in the back, making dangerous tackles, and – most famously – yanking the ponytail of an opponent, putting them on the ground. However, the referee didn’t see most of Lambert’s actions. The only one that brought immediate repercussions for her was a trip on a player resulting in a yellow card. While Lambert apologized for her actions, her university banned her indefinitely from football. However, she returned to the team in 2010.
#4: The Champions Clash
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2007
With a game finishing nil-nil, the battle between Valencia and Inter Milan in the second leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League sounds dull. But that changed at the final whistle, sending the Spanish side through on away goals. During the brawl, Valencia’s David Navarro punched Inter’s Nicolás Burdisso on the nose, breaking it. Navarro then ran away as Burdisso and his Inter teammates attempted to kick him. Which, of course, sparked a further fight that continued in the changing rooms. UEFA came down hard on everyone responsible. After appeals, for Valencia, Navarro was banned for six months and Carlos Marchena for two games. For Inter, Maicon got three matches, Iván Córdoba got two, and Burdisso was prohibited for six.
#3: The Battle of Bramall Lane
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2002
In 2002, the then-named English First Division fixture between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion made history in the worst way possible. In the 82nd minute, with West Brom leading three-nil, the game was abandoned as United was reduced to six players, thanks to three sendings off and two players leaving due to injuries. This became the first professional game in England to be abandoned in such a way. In the aftermath, the result was awarded to West Brom. Then came the punishment for United. After the club was fined £10,000, Patrick Suffo was banned for six games and fined £3000, Georges Santos was banned for six, player-coach Keith Curle was fined £500 and banned for two, and manager Neil Warnock was fined £300.
#2: Mayhem Maradona
1984
In 1983, Barcelona icon Diego Maradona was brutally tackled by Athletic Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetxea, resulting in a broken ankle and earning the Spanish player the nickname “the Butcher of Bilbao.” Several months later, in 1984, in the final of the Copa del Rey, tensions were still high. After Bilboa won one-nil, chaos erupted when Miguel Sola verbally abused Maradona. The Argentine took Sola to the floor and then kneed him in the face, knocking him out cold. This sparked his Barça teammates to join as Maradona began kicking everyone. Even fans got involved by throwing objects at the players, forcing riot police to descend onto the pitch to restore order. This essentially ended Maradona’s Barça career as he went to Italy’s Napoli shortly after.
#1: The Battle of Santiago
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1962
With the BBC’s David Coleman’s slating introduction to this match, you already know you’re in for a wild ride. At the 1962 World Cup, Chile faced Italy in Group 2. Due to both nations' media taking shots at each other in the lead-up, tensions were really high. As such, the first foul happened within 12 seconds. By the 12th minute, Italy’s Giorgio Ferrini hacked Honorino Landa, resulting in a red card. However, he refused to leave, forcing the police to drag him away. In the 41st minute, Italy’s Mario David tried to kick Leonel Sánchez’s head. So, he was sent off too. Throw in multiple punches from Chile that the ref missed and the police coming on again, and you forget that Chile won two-nil.
