5 of the worst fouls in football history

#4 Roy Keane on Alf Inge Haaland

Talk about bad blood – the seeds for Roy Keane’s horrific foul on Alf-Inge Haaland were inexplicably sewn three seasons prior to the actual incident occurring.

Keane had held a grudge against the Norwegian defender following an incident that saw Manchester United’s then-captain damage his knee ligaments in an attempted tackle on Haaland in a game in 1997/98 between United and Leeds.

Haaland – believing Keane was feigning injury – stood over him and shouted down at him to get to his feet. Unfortunately for Haaland, Keane would neither forgive nor forget.

In April 2001’s Manchester derby, Keane saw his chance for revenge. A 50/50 ball bounced between the Irishman and Haaland, now representing Man City, and so rather than go for the ball, Keane decided to take action, lunging at Haaland’s right knee with his right foot and smashing all of his weight into it.

To make matters worse, he then stood over the fallen Haaland and shouted down at him, repaying the favour from three years prior.

Naturally, Keane was sent off, and after the game, he received a lengthy five-game ban as well as a £150,000 fine. Haaland claimed the injury suffered during the tackle effectively ended his career, and although he did play a handful of times afterwards he never truly regained full fitness.

To make matters worse, in his 2002 autobiography, Keane admitted outright that the tackle had been premeditated and he’d planned to hurt the Norwegian. It was another black mark on Keane’s glittering career – one that was marred with a history of violence throughout.