Two international players got sent off after pulling the hair of the football star with the longest hair in the world.
A footballer nicknamed a ‘cheat code’ has gone viral after two players got sent off for pulling his hair during an international match — quite a rare sight!
Anguilla, one of the lowest-ranked teams in the world, played against Antigua and Barbuda in the Concacaf Nations League and lost 5-0 on the road. But the big news came when the hosts had two players sent off in the second half because of Aedan Scipio.
The 36-year-old, who joined the game in the 68th minute, has super long dreadlocks that almost reach his feet, and it was those locks that caused the trouble. First, Keon Greene pulled on his hair while Scipio had the ball in his own area. Scipio reacted, and Greene got a red card. Later, in stoppage time, Shalon Knight grabbed his hair when trying to stop him, and Knight also got sent off. This was the first time ever that two players in the same game were sent off for hair-pulling!
Videos of the moments quickly went viral, and fans started calling Scipio a ‘cheat code’. Because of the red cards, Antigua and Barbuda finished the game with only nine players and will miss Greene and Knight in their next match against Anguilla on Friday.
Hair pulling in football is becoming more common lately. Last season, three Premier League players were sent off for it—Michael Keane and Dan Ballard for pulling Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare’s hair, and Lisandro Martinez for grabbing Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair during a Manchester United vs. Leeds game.
The rules treat hair pulling as violent conduct, usually leading to a three-match ban. The Premier League updated its rules recently, so if a hair pull isn’t too harsh, it might just get a yellow card.
Everton’s Michael Keane tried to appeal his red card, arguing there was no real force or bad intention. But both his appeal to overturn the red and to reduce his suspension were denied. A panel of former players decided 2-1 that the red card was fair and the three-game ban wasn’t too much.