'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAb/2gAIAQEAAAAADOf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAACf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAABf/xAAgEAABBAEEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAADAQIEEQUABgcSJFLi/9oACAEBAAE/ANw7KwRjYrx2xiSIoIZkAKmPUYkXtSKlXSXonFWP7uqW+r9PrX//xAAbEQACAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgQAAxFBwv/aAAgBAgEBPwCRLvKEwddGv//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgP/2gAIAQMBAT8AN7k//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Every sport has to be played with respect. Be it football or cricket or baseball, Sportsman's spirit is an important value that must be inculcated in every player, regardless of the sport he plays.
Football, unlike many other sports, is a witness to some of the dirtiest fights in the history of sports.
Dirty spats have also resulted in ruthless tackles, resulting into various punishments for the accused players. There have been numerous instances of serious lack of respect towards opponents.
Let's see some of these moments where players have failed to live up to a true sportsman's expectations.
#5 Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi
Zinedine Zidane is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the history of football. The Frenchman had a glittering career and earned many plaudits from rivals as well as compatriots.
However, one incident that appears to be a blotch on his career is the World Cup final incident involving Marco Materazzi, where the French captain showed a lack of sportsmanship by dishing out a headbutt to Materazzi. The foul resulted in Zidane being sent off in his last game as a footballer.
Zidane later refused to apologise to the Italian, accusing him of abusing his (Zidane's) mother and sister. The Frenchman's foul resulted in his sending off and France consequently losing the final to Italy. Zidane later accepted that he felt guilty for the lack of sportsmanship he had shown during the final.
While Zidane was wrong in his actions, Materazzi's behaviour of riling up his opponent shouldn't be neglected either.
#4 Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra
When you think of unsportsmanlike behaviour in football, one name that certainly pops up in your head is that of Luis Suarez.
Suarez is undoubtedly one of the finest strikers of his generation. But he was a dirty player on the pitch as well. Of all the high-profile incidents he has been involved in -- which includes having a nibble at three players -- the racial abuse of Patrice Evra is perhaps the worst of all.
In October 2011, during a tie between Manchester United and Liverpool, Suarez was found to be guilty of racially abusing defender Evra. The Frenchman claimed Suarez was using a racial slur to insult him for at least ten times during the fixture.
The FA immediately opened investigations regarding the incidents and Suarez was fined £40,000 and banned for eight games. Was that the end of it? No. Suarez later refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand when the two sides met at Old Trafford, drawing more ire.
#3 Pepe and Lionel Messi
There had to be an incident from the famous El Clasico on the list. Real Madrid versus Barcelona is the most watched match in club football after the Champions League Final.
The fixture also invites some of the dirtiest moments in football that lack sportsman's spirit. One of them is the Portuguese defender Pepe deliberately stamping Lionel Messi's hand after a foul by Jose Callejon.
Pepe is at the top of his brutality when it comes to the El Clasico. Although he later apologised to Messi saying the foul was unintentional, the video seems to say otherwise.
#2 Marwin Hitz sabotaging a penalty
In high-pressure and intense matches, players resort to unfair tricks to gain an advantage over their rivals. That is exactly what happened with Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz.
In December 2015, FC Augsburg faced FC Koln in the Bundesliga. After a penalty was awarded to FC Koln, the Augsburg keeper was caught tampering with the penalty spot on the camera.
As a result, Anthony Modeste slipped while taking the shot from the spot and Hitz saved it successfully. Augsburg won the game 1-0 and undoubtedly, the penalty miss played a big role.
However, the Swiss international later made an apology to FC Koln. Also, he paid the charges for tampering with the turf. It was one of those examples where we see a lack of sportsman's spirit in the game.
#1 Roy Keane and John Alf Inge Haaland
This has to go down as the dirtiest tackle football has ever seen. Back in April 2001, Roy Keane vented out his bottled anger in a horrific way that ended John Alfie Haaland's football career.
There is a history behind Keane's horrendous attack on Haaland. Leeds faced United in September 1997 and were leading 1-0 with five minutes to go. Keane had been trying to take Haaland off the ball. But, the United skipper caught his studs in the turf and tore his cruciate ligament and, to add insult to injury, was booked as he lay stricken on the turf. Little did Haaland know that he would pay a heavy price later.
The Norweigan then accused Keane of faking injuries, not knowing the extent of the Irishman's injury. Keane would miss the whole season later. But, the false accusations riled up Keano who then fouled Haaland in the derby yelling 'Gotcha!' as the Norweigan lay groaning.
Haaland managed to play only 48 minutes after the tackle, retiring two years later. Keane accepted his intentions about deliberately injuring his counterpart, which was an utter disgrace.
