5 football incidents that showed the lack of sportsmanship

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.