Norwegian footballer sent off for arguing over penalty… that was awarded to him

We’re all for honesty and fair play in football, but when a player is given a red card for furiously protesting that a penalty shouldn’t have been awarded in his favour, it’s gotten a little out of hand.

Robbie Fowler and Paolo Di Canio are famous examples of players who have perverted the course of injustice on the field in the past and you can add the name of Talat Abunima to that distinguished list after the 36-year old was given his marching orders for repeatedly arguing that he shouldn’t have been given a spot kick.

Playing for Sanved against Ild – the Norwegian fifth division equivalent of El Clasico we’re led to believe – Abunima fell over in the penalty area after tripping over his own feet. The referee adjudged that an Ild player had made contact and pointed to the spot, sparking fury amongst the Ild players… and Abunima himself.

Abumina pleaded with the referee to reverse the decision and was given a yellow card. That didn’t shut him up and the ref lost patience with his continued protests and sent him for an early bath.

"I went past an Ild player and then tripped over my own feet, Abunima told local newspaper Sandposten.

“It was unbelievably clumsy of me and when the referee pointed to the spot I felt I had to speak out."

Referee Nedzad Munjic clearly thought otherwise, telling news website VG Nett: "It was a clear penalty. The player got it all wrong – I don't think the players know the rules properly. And when I've blown the whistle, I can't change my mind."

The drama didn’t stop there, however. 3-1 ahead, the Sanved player-coach decided to deliberately miss the penalty – he wouldn’t be the first player this week to do so – saying that “It was the right thing to do”.

Not only that, but after Abunima’s sending off,  Ild decided to withdraw a player to make the sides even once again and subsequently converted two penalties to tie perhaps the most bizarre yet cordial game of football ever at three goals apiece.

Sanved weren’t the only ones to benefit from a dubious spot-kick award, with the referee revealing afterwards that the Sanved player coach, who, you might remember, had earlier missed a penalty on purpose, was livid with one of Ild’s penalty decisions.

"The guy who missed on purpose complained a lot about the penalty that led to the 3-3 goal," the referee said afterwards.

"I don't really understand that. First he shoots wide on purpose, then he complains when the other team scores. It's hopeless."

After all that, Abunima had his red card subsequently rescinded by the Norwegian authorities, a decision which would appear to completely undermine the referee, who could be poised for demotion to the Norwegian sixth or seventh division after this farce.

Everyone gives out about diving in football and then when a player tries to admit that he shouldn’t have been given a penalty, he gets sent off.

Surely proof, if any was needed, that football’s gone mad.