Premier League - When team-mates attack

Eurosport - Mon, 29 Dec 15:46:00 2008

Ricardo Fuller's shocking assault on Stoke City teammate Andy Griffin on Sunday cost him a red card and his team a Premier League defeat.

FOOTBALL 2008/09 Premier League Stoke City players attempt to calm striker Ricardo Fuller after he is sent off for hitting team-mate Andy Griffin - 0

It also gave him a place in sport's hall of shame - flying fists department.

"He walked up to 'Griff' and clipped him on the chin," said Stoke manager Tony Pulis after Sunday's domestic tiff at Upton Park where West Ham won 2-1.

"There are always incidents on the pitch and in training. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

The Premier League is quite used to seeing teammates become sparring partners.

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton has rarely been out of the headlines for his actions, both on and off the field.

The 26-year-old served a 74-day jail sentence this year following an assault on a 16-year-old boy. In May 2007, he attacked former Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training session.

Dabo had described Barton as a coward.

"The fact that I look like the Elephant Man is bad enough, but what I find most shocking is that he struck me first from behind and then repeatedly when I was down on the ground. His actions are despicable," said Dabo.

Barton scored for Newcastle on his return in October this year having served a six-match ban imposed by the FA and insisted he was a changed character.

"I have messed up on more than one occasion but nothing sobers you up like going to prison," he said.

"It was not a nice experience and I know this is the last-chance saloon."

Just weeks later, however, he faced allegations that he had racially abused Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Newcastle are no strangers to internal strife.

In April 2005, Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer squared up to each other as their team slumped to a dispiriting 3-0 home defeat to Villa. Both players were sent-off.

"We are teammates and we have disagreements, but we should not be fighting in front of 50,000 people," admitted Dyer.

Bowyer was later fined by a court and his club also banned him.

Other footballers who have come to blows on the field include Blackburn Rovers team-mates Graeme Le Saux and David Batty , who were both sent off after clashing during a 1995 Champions League game.

And Liverpool's lightweight Steve McManaman showed an aggressive side rarely unleashed on opponents when he exchanged pushes to the face with Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar after conceding in 1993.

Punch-ups between teammates have also featured in the United States.

In August, NFL star Steve Smith apologized to his Carolina Panthers team and fans after punching teammate Ken Lucas in training, leaving the starting cornerback with a broken nose.

"I'm not going to get into who's right, who's wrong. I'm completely wrong," Smith said.

AFP

Comment 7 - 26 of 26

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  1. what about di canio that chap was nuts

    From christopher, on Sun 4 Jan 1:20PM

  2. Comment 22 from brunt 746. You got it dead right. Did­ inyone see the photo in the Daily Telegraph on Friday­ of thug Rooney stangling Faye ?

    From Chaseboy, on Tue 30 Dec 3:01PM

  3. Fuller is a disgrace to Stoke City FC and to­ football.
    No matter what the situation you should never­ slap your captain.

    From DavidM, on Mon 29 Dec 7:32PM

  4. well maybe he should take up boxing rather than­ football lets face it he is a @#$% footballer, hitting­ a teammate is the only way he will make or even get­ into the press how sad shame on you .
    may be if he­ actually scored a few chances then he could not blame­ his team mates .
    hope stoke throw the book at him he­ really thinks he is something when nobody else­ does

    waste of space . in any sunday league team he­ would have got a good punch back !!

    From richard m, on Mon 29 Dec 7:31PM

  5. the comments from zulu ....just looked at the fulham­ stoke game again the paintsel oscar attempt was­ fantastic ...players that dive roll and scream....which­ we all shake our heads at.....should be sent off i cant­ understand zulus remarks did you see the game. did you­ see rooney elbow faye last week did you see 75 times­ oscar winner ronaldo strike wilkinson after the ball­ had gone no bookings no sending off .why oh yes of­ course .....sir alex fergie

    From brunt746, on Mon 29 Dec 5:42PM

  6. Silly little children.

    From Bobby Robson A Legend, on Mon 29 Dec 5:00PM

  7. ha

    From Bromley Blue, on Mon 29 Dec 4:50PM

  8. I am very very disappointed in Fuller. He lacked­ self-control and needs to find other ways to manage his­ anger, and make we Jamaicans continue to be proud of­ him and his achievements. Instead of hanging our heads­ in shame and disbelief.

    From dwayne, on Mon 29 Dec 4:09PM

  9. Rubbish article. The one you robbed it off (which I­ read earlier) at least had the decency to include­ youtube links. Do you really have to keep bringing­ Barton up? He wasn't on the pitch when he struck.­ Pi55 poor journalism.

    From Phil, on Mon 29 Dec 4:01PM

  10. sometime thing can get out of control,but professionale­ player must try to keep them compossure at all­ time.kids watching who will be the next role model.

    From dwayne, on Mon 29 Dec 3:49PM

  11. Fuller is after all a STRIKER

    From Get rid of the Lords, on Mon 29 Dec 3:37PM

  12. stoke r sik

    From K, on Mon 29 Dec 3:20PM

  13. grosskopf, what are you on about, GBH, CPS, you­ don't think they've got enough on their plates.­ as for Fuller being a role model for children, surely­ their role model would be someone they've heard of­ for a start, no offence to Fuller and stoke but they­ aint glamour baby. i think most of you here are blowing­ this massively out of proportion, he slapped the guy­ that's all. personally i'm gutted as i'm a­ stoke fan and he totally lost the game for us but we­ all knew he was this kind of player, his record­ certainly points to it. he should apologise to stoke­ city fans, management and players and also to west ham­ and that's it. congrats to Griffin though proper­ man, he didn't go down like a Drogba

    From rex_davies, on Mon 29 Dec 3:10PM

  14. Yes, Fuller is a disgrace. One could see it coming..
    It­ started with the Paintsel incident against Fulham.­ Although everybody came down on Paintsel for over­ reacting, Fuller clearly tried a head but.

    The guy is­ out of control and is ending his own career­ prematurely. What an idiot.

    BTW: the FA usually­ don't do S**** They are a bit of a joke themselves.

    From J Smith, on Mon 29 Dec 3:02PM

  15. Ricardo Fuller should be charged by the FA with­ "actions likely to bring the game into­ disrepute" ANDD THEN the CPS (Criminal Prosecution­ SErvice) should charge with with GBH!
    If that were to­ happen then footballers would finally get the message­ that their antics are not above the law!!!

    From jonathan g, on Mon 29 Dec 2:42PM

  16. Fuller is a disgrace and should face the full­ punishment available from both the F A and the club.­ Does he not realise that children watch these games and­ copy the antics of the players? The guy's an idiot.

    From quatt47, on Mon 29 Dec 2:32PM

  17. Im just waiting for the article "When management­ attacks!" lol, like Fergies 'boot­ incident' with Beckham

    From LOCO CABRON, on Mon 29 Dec 2:03PM

  18. In training yeah teammates can show some roughness, but­ Fuller in this case was a complete idiot with no right­ whatsoever the other player maybe did not clear the­ ball, but tough..... such is Football.

    From peterpale006, on Mon 29 Dec 1:59PM

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    From , on Mon 29 Dec 1:50PM

  20. Kids

    From Ivson F, on Mon 29 Dec 1:40PM
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