A typically violent Argentinian clash forced the referee to give up dishing out bookings, warning the players it was only sendings off from now on.
A first round game in the not-so-aptly named Friendship Cup in Argentina pitched local rivals Estudiantes and Gimnasia against each other. The game was, in the best traditions of South American football, a spicy affair, with ref Carlos Maglio issuing eight yellow cards by the time the game still had 10 minutes to go.
At that stage, Maglio snapped and called both captains together. He told the that he was not going to book anyone else, that every foul from that point on would be a red card and to make sure they knew he was serious, he handed his yellow to his assistant, retiring it for the remainder of the game.
The Mirror carry some quotes that Maglio gave an Argentinian radio station. “Retiring the yellow card was a spur of the moment decision,” he said. “I had already booked eight players and I didn’t want them to keep hitting each other.”
And did he have to issue a red in the final 10 minutes. Yes my friends he did, but the challenge, which you can see in the video below at the 0:50 mark, was more than a straight red in any language.
