Every football fan knows the feeling that split second when the referee reaches into his pocket, and you see red. It’s dramatic, it’s shocking, and sometimes, it changes everything. But what if I told you that a player can actually be sent off before the match even starts? Or that one player was once shown five red cards in the same game? Or that a match in Argentina ended with an unbelievable 36 red cards being handed out?
As wild as it sounds, all of these things have really happened. Let’s dive into some of the most bizarre and fascinating stories behind football’s most infamous piece of plastic, the red card.
What Is a Red Card?
In football, a red card means instant dismissal. When a referee shows it, the player (or even a coach) must leave the field immediately. But contrary to popular belief, red cards aren’t limited to just what happens during the 90 minutes.
According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, a referee can show a red card before, during, or after a match. This means a player, substitute, substituted player, or even a team official can be sent off at almost any point from the pre-match warm-up to long after the final whistle.
Here’s what can earn you a red card:
- Serious foul play
- Violent conduct
- Spitting at someone
- Denying a goal-scoring opportunity by foul or handball
- Using offensive or abusive language
- Receiving a second yellow card
In short, it’s football’s way of saying “enough.” But as we’ll see, players have found some truly extraordinary ways to earn it.
The most bizarre red card incidents
Patrice Evra: Sent Off Before Kickoff
One of the strangest red cards ever was issued in 2017 during a Europa League game between Marseille and Vitória SC in Portugal.
Patrice Evra, a veteran left-back for Marseille, wasn’t even in the starting lineup. While warming up before the game, a group of his own fans began taunting him. They had been unhappy with his performances that season and broke past barriers to confront him directly on the touchline.
Evra snapped. He walked over and attempted to kick one of the supporters in the head. It was a shocking moment, and it all happened before a single ball had been kicked.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea reacted immediately, showing Evra a red card before kickoff. UEFA later confirmed the decision in the match log:
“The Marseille substitute has been shown a red card following an incident with the crowd.”
Because Evra was listed as a substitute, Marseille were still allowed to start with eleven players, but his night and soon his Marseille career was over. UEFA later banned him for his violent conduct.
It remains one of football’s rarest disciplinary moments: a red card before the first whistle.
The Player Who Got Five Red Cards in a Single Match
If one red card is bad, imagine being sent off five times in the same game. That’s exactly what happened to Dave Bowman, a veteran midfielder playing for Forfar Athletic in a Scottish Second Division match against Stranraer in 2001.
It started normally enough. Bowman was shown a red card for a professional foul. But things escalated quickly. Furious with the decision, he launched into a verbal tirade at the referee, refused to leave the pitch, and even tried to snatch the red card out of the referee’s hand.
Referee Alan Gemmell didn’t hesitate; he treated each act of dissent as a separate offense. One for the foul, one for abuse, one for refusing to leave, and another for the attempted grab. Bowman eventually left the field, but not before kicking the referee’s dressing room door, earning him a fifth red card for violent conduct.
To make things worse, this wasn’t even his first meltdown. Less than a year earlier, Bowman had been sent off four times in another match for repeatedly abusing the officials.
The Scottish FA had seen enough. He was hit with a six-month ban, serving one of the longest suspensions in Scottish football history.
It’s safe to say Bowman took the concept of “seeing red” a bit too literally.
The Match With 36 Red Cards
If one player’s meltdown sounds bad, wait till you hear about a match where everyone got sent off.
In 2011, a fifth-tier Argentine game between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas turned into total chaos, ending with a record-breaking 36 red cards being handed out.
It started small. Victoriano’s Rodrigo Sánchez was shown two yellows early on for dissent. Later, during a drinks break, one of his teammates tried to punch his own coach, earning another red.
But things exploded after full-time. Sánchez, already sent off, returned to the pitch in civilian clothes to settle a score with a Claypole player. He threw a punch, and within seconds, both teams were brawling. Players, substitutes, and even staff joined in.
Referee Damian Rubino had no choice but to go nuclear. He recorded red cards for every player on both teams, all substitutes, and even one coach.
When it was over, the official report listed 36 red cards in total, the most ever in a single professional football match.
It wasn’t a football game by the end; it was pure chaos.
The Final Word
A red card isn’t just a rule, it’s a symbol. It represents control, chaos, and consequence all at once. It can end a player’s match, define a team’s season, or even become part of football folklore.
From a red before kickoff to five reds in one game, to a record 36 in Argentina, these stories remind us why football remains so unpredictable. It’s not just about goals and glory. It’s about emotion, and sometimes, that emotion ends in red.
