Disagreements can sometimes escalate during a soccer match, but it’s generally understood that players should focus their attention on the opposing team.
That’s why it was surprising to see Everton colleagues Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane confronting each other during the 13th minute of their team’s 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Monday night.
What Kieron Dyer said to Lee Bowyer in their infamous on-pitch scrap
However, this isn’t the first instance of teammates exchanging blows during a Premier League game. A prominent example occurred in April 2005.
Newcastle United had already experienced a challenging afternoon as their home match against Aston Villa was coming to a close. The Magpies were trailing 3-0 and were reduced to 10 players after Steven Taylor received a red card.
Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer, both midfielders, were in the starting lineup for the game, but they weren’t exactly close friends, as they frequently competed for a spot in the Newcastle starting lineup.
With eight minutes remaining, as Shola Ameobi attempted to initiate an attack for the home team, Bowyer accused Dyer of not passing the ball to him.
“That’s because you are not good enough,” was the reply, and everything descended into chaos.
In the presence of over 52,000 spectators at St James’ Park, Bowyer moved toward his Magpies colleague, engaged in a physical confrontation, and began throwing punches.
“I was trying to allow him to exhaust himself with his punches,” Dyer later explained. “However, by the time the fourth punch came, I thought, ‘I’ve had enough of this,’ and I retaliated with a punch of my own.”
After players from both teams intervened to separate the two, both were ejected from the game – even though Alan Shearer argued that the ruling was overly strict – leaving Newcastle with only eight players.
Dyer and Bowyer went on fighting as they headed toward the tunnel. Manager Graeme Souness brought them into the post-game press conference where they had to publicly say sorry. It was even said that Souness challenged each player to a fight himself.
Bowyer received a suspension for seven games, due in part to this being his second red card of the season, whereas Dyer was suspended for only three games.
Interestingly, Newcastle kept both players on the team beyond the end of the season. Bowyer went to West Ham United the following summer, and Dyer also left for the Hammers in August 2007.
