5 things you never thought you'd see thrown on a football pitch

Brunt was not a happy camper after being struck with a coinWhile Rio Ferdinand could see the funny side of being hit with a two pence coin as he celebrated a late derby winner, Chris Brunt could not. Once again, ugly scenes marred English football over the weekend. An angry West Brom fan struck their old captain with a coin as he walked over after a 3-1 defeat to Championship side Reading.At the home of reigning league champions Chelsea, Pellegrini’s youthful charges were also pelted by coins as they celebrated their almost instant equaliser. The Rio Ferdinand incident in 2012 even sparked a debate in English football regarding safety nets around the pitch, to protect players. Both clubs have called for lifetime bans for the offenders in efforts to stamp it out of the game.Clubs will often seek to punish offenders with stadium bans and sometimes (as in these two cases), the police also get involved. It could lead to community service and even jail time!That sounds like a fair punishment, but one has to ask, what should you do when people throw these alien things onto a football pitch?

#1 Dentures

Dentures thrown during a game, surely a first! (Image credit: Nydailynews)

It's often said that hooligans are the kind of people who can steal from an old lady.

Well, someone's grandmother would have been quite surprised to see Argentinos Juniors manager Ricardo Caruso staring confusedly at her dentures. As he watched his side slump to a 3-1 home loss against Belgrano in 2013, dentistry was the last thing on Caruso's mind. Unfortunately, an angry fan in the stands thought the exact opposite and promptly tossed him a pair of dentures.

Playing at the Diego Maradona stadium, it's understandable that the fans expected more from their top players. El Semillero, or 'The Nursery', holds a lot of stock in its proud history of breeding some of Argentina's finest. World Cup winners Claudio Borghi and Diego Maradona (hence the name of the stadium) both graduated from its ranks.

Naturally, the 2013 squad were playing to fill some rather large shoes. It's obvious the fans wished to give their players a kick up the backside; get them running and fighting. What's surprising is that they decided to do that by giving them an extra set of teeth - are they meant to eat more?

Toothless in attack? All jokes aside, there's no clearer message.

#2 Beach-ball

Keep your eye on the ball!

Former Bayern Munich & Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was not exactly in the hottest form in 2009. A refreshing seaside break might've done him some good, but before that there was the tricky problem of Steve Bruce's Sunderland. Thankfully for him, a friendly young Liverpool fan fully understood his need for some beach fun & games.

Unfortunately, that was during a furiously contested match at the Stadium of Light. So when Darren Bent took a wicked shot at goal from inside the box, Pepe Reina instinctively kept his eyes on the ball, like any top keeper. The big red one with his club's crest, that is.

The real ball bounced off it and into the net, confusing everybody except Darren Bent as he wheeled away in celebration. Unbelievably, the goal stood and Liverpool dropped 3 crucial points. Manager Rafa Benitez would leave at the end of the season with Liverpool mired in 7th position.

Pepe Reina later joked, "When I catch him, he won’t be going back to a football ground! The mother who gave birth to that boy."

#3 Hand grenade

The game was a blast though (Image credit: CBS news)

Ever heard the expression, 'this one's going to be a cracker'?

When Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Sepahan of Iran met up for the 2012 Asian Champions League quarterfinals, it would inevitably fit the bill. A fiercely-contested 0-0 draw wasn't even the highlight of the game, as anger poured from the stands. Projectiles and debris were thrown at players, but only one person knew what would happen next.

Casually tossing some old beanbag or rag aside as it impeded him, Sepahan midfielder Adel Kolahkaj escaped with both hands by blind luck. Seconds later, the projectile exploded in full view of the cameras. The game was stopped for some time before it could continue as commentators, players and fans alike were left in utter shock! Unfortunately for Kolahkaj, his team lost the 2nd leg in Jeddah 4-1.

Talk about burning someone's chances!

#4 Betty Boop doll

The doll in Valbuena’s way (Image credit: IBTimes)

Every so often, a disastrous dip in form will make people look for someone else to blame. Victoria Beckham had to endure her fair share of it as David Beckham left United for Real Madrid after a series of underwhelming performances and disagreements with Sir Alex Ferguson. On the other hand, players will quickly exalt their partners when they perform well – because family is what matters after all!

When Sochaux came up against the mighty Olympique de Marseille in 2014, few expected them to hold a shock 1-0 lead. Especially not towards the end of the game. Even their fans might’ve found it surprising, but very pleasant! Desperate to hang on to the slender lead, players, staff and fans alike did their best to roar their team on.

If that wasn’t going to work, then surely the secret weapon would – a beautiful woman! As Mathieu Valbuena lined up a corner kick, a Betty Boop doll was thrown at the diminutive midfielder. What reaction was expected – nobody can tell. What's certain though is that Valbuena’s eyes weren’t taken off the game, but the Betty Bop doll was. Instead of wasting time, Valbuena calmly picked up the doll and kept on playing.

The match finished 1-1, as Marseille scored a 90th-minute equaliser. Who said players weren’t professional anymore?

#5 Pig\'s Head

Figo will remember this game for a long time

Some men change their names.Some men change their nationalities.But no one, literally no one ever crosses the Great Clasico divide. It's like marrying your partner's brutal murderer.

In the year 2000, as the world heralded a new millennium, Luis Figo did the unthinkable and signed for his Catalan side's bitter rivals Real Madrid. Barcelona fans were incensed and they made their feelings very clear

When he finally returned to the Camp Nou two years later, he found the vociferous hatred far from abated. Bottles, coins, insults and jeers were hurled at him. Captain Carles Puyol did his level best to keep things cool but this time, the fans wouldn't listen to him. As Figo lined up a corner, one particularly furious fan did the unimaginable. Presumably pulling it out of his back pocket like any good cartoon character (because how on Earth did he smuggle it in), the fan tossed an entire pig's head at him!

The moment has become an iconic symbol of the incredible rivalry between the two Spanish giants, and a message for whoever dared to do the same in the future.