9 instances where sideline incidents made the headlines in football

Incidents like Mourinho’s eye poke are memorable touchline moments in footballThe story, almost always, is about what happens within a football pitch – that is where history is made. The moments inside a pitch is what defines football.However, that is not always the case, hence the ‘almost’. Sometimes, off-the-pitch incidents make more headlines than what happens within the box made of 4 lines. They certainly are more absurd than what happens within a pitch.And here are 9 such instances where sideline incidents become the subject of many people’s conversations.

#1 Fernando Navarro pees in the dugout

Carlos Bacca helps Fernando Navarro to relieve himself in the dugout

So your team is leading a game and you are an unused substitute and you are, frankly, bored – what will you do? Well, if you are Fernando Navarro, then you will just take a water bottle and release your bladder stress there.

Calls of nature can only be ignored for so long. So when Fernando Navarro’s bladder was about to burst, he realised that being civilized is overrated and, with the help of team-mate Carlos Bacca (who wouldn’t want a team-mate like that?), peed into the bottle.

Pretty sure that the bottle can never be used for drinking ever again.

#2 Julien Faubert sleeping in the dugout

Julien Faubert simply seemed uninterested in his team’s fortunes and decided to doze off

Comfortable seats should be banned from football. When Real Madrid were playing out a thriller against Villarreal, a must-win game, almost every player on Real’s bench were at the edge of their seats…except for Julien Faubert.

The Frenchman was signed on a loan by Real Madrid for reasons that only the Almighty knows and, as expected, turn out to be a horrible signing as he, simply put, couldn’t play football.

And he further proved it when he dozed off on the bench without witnessing a game as thrilling as that one, which Villarreal ultimately won 3-2. Faubert must have been unhappy that he wasn’t subbed despite his team needing a win. Poor Faubert.

#3 The Fabio Coentrao confusion

Fabio Coentrao was involved in a confusion about his involvement as a substitute

This is the mother of all confusion. When Real Madrid were about to take on Espanyol in a Copa Del Rey clash, the players took their respective places – 11 on the pitch and 5 on the bench.

However, there seemed to be a 6th player on the bench, someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. Fabio Coentrao took his place on the bench thinking that Jose Mourinho had named him as a substitute. Then Iker Casillas broke his heart by making the revelation before laughing his socks off.

The Portuguese then approached Aitor Karanka to know whether the claim was valid, Karanka spilled the beans and then Jose Mourinho had a good laugh. End of story.

#4 Jose Mourinho eye-poke of Tito Vilanova

Jose Mourinho poked Tito Vilanova’s eye during an El Clasico clash

El Clasicos have always been affairs that have flared a lot of heat.

And that further escalated when Jose Mourinho was the manager of Real Madrid. El Clasicos at that time were like wars happening on a football pitch.

So when Marcelo dived in and brutally tackled Cesc Fabregas with the intention to hurt the Spaniard, the Barca bench were rightfully angered, paving the way for a massive brawl. In the midst of this mess, the self-proclaimed Special One saw the opportunity and Tito Vilanova’s beautiful eye and decided to further test them by poking it with his finger.

Tito retaliated by slapping Mourinho, and it became one of the greatest touchline bust up act – one that will probably never be forgotten.

#5 Iker Casillas playing on his mobile phone

Casillas found an interesting way to keep himself busy while warming the bench

Playing on your cell phone is very common. What is not common, however, is playing on your cell phone whilst warming the bench as a substitute. And Iker Casillas did just that.

The Spanish legend who will be joining Porto next season has always been a unique kind of a goalkeeper, but he took all that to another level against Espanyol. As Cristiano scored his seventh hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Espanyol, the former Real Madrid captain got bored of sitting on the bench and watching the game from there.

So he took out his phone and started playing on it. That’s the way to go when you are left out of the squad and feeling soporific.

#6 Marcelo Bielsa sits on coffee cup

Marseille manager Bielsa jumped up in shock after sitting on a coffee cup

Marcelo Bielsa is a genius, a crazy genius. His innovative mind has been praised by many and numerous modern-day managers have named him as their inspiration. He’s such a keen student of the game that when he watches it from the touchline, he loses contact with the rest of the world.

And the game against Toulouse is a testament to that fact. As he was witnessing his Marseille side muster a 2-0 win against Toulouse, he sat on the cooler without being aware of the coffee cup that was placed on it.

As soon as he sat on it, he jumped up and kicked the cup with a bit of wrath. The rest of the bench had a good laugh about it, though.

#7 Carlos Tevez refuses to play against Bayern

Carlos Tevez defied Roberto Mancini’s orders and refused to play against Bayern Munich

Some players are really difficult to manage and Carlos Tevez, at Manchester City, was just that. On his day, he is unplayable and that is why it seemed unfathomable to him that then City manager, Roberto Mancini, deemed him as a backup player and started him from the bench on most occasions.

The boiling point was crossed as he once again found himself on the bench against Bayern Munich in City’s Champions League clash in the 2011-12 season – so much that when Roberto Mancini asked him to warm up and go on to the pitch with 34 minutes remaining in the clock, he flatly refused.

The Italian was taken aback by the Argentine’s reaction and was so furious at him that he claimed, “I have my way, he will be out – he is finished with me.”

In the end, however, that wasn’t really the case as Tevez did come back to the starting XI some months later and played some games.

#8 Diego Costa trying to wax Xabi Alonso

Costa kept himself busy during a World Cup match by trying to wax Alonso’s leg

Seeing someone else’s reaction when being waxed is one of the most gleeful things ever and Diego Costa wanted to do just that when he tried to wax his Spain team-mate, Xabi Alonso.

After Spain were embarrassingly knocked out of the World Cup from the group stages itself before even playing the third group tie, they were left playing only for pride against Australia.

So what do you do when your team is playing a consolation match and you are not out there on the pitch playing? Easy! You try to wax your team-mate. And Xabi Alonso reacted the way he does on the pitch – with unreal calm and composure.

#9 Joachim Low picks his nose and eats it

Joachim Loew has the unusual habit of picking his nose during matches

Apologies for ruining your day, but this had to be there.

Joachim Low, among managers, is the darling of many female fans' hearts. He is also a World Cup winning coach and classy gentlemen. Everything about him seems perfect until one saw this incident.

Actually, scrap that. It is not just an incident, it is a series of incidents. The Germany boss just loves to pick his nose and eat the boogers that he picks out of it. And he has been caught multiple times doing it. One can only wonder how a man of such class can have such an unhygienic and undesirable habit. I am definitely not shaking hands with him if I ever meet him.