Football is an emotional game. Sometimes, these emotions get the better of those who’re out on the pitch – leading to extraordinary events and circumstances.
One more than occasion, a team has left the pitch in protest during an ongoing game. Today, we’ll be looking at five instances where this took place – starting with one that occurred very recently. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know what we’re referring to.
Senegal vs Morocco
Senegal vs Morocco came to blows in the AFCON 2025 final. It was a gritty, if somewhat uneventful game – until the last few minutes.
Senegal scored late on, only for it to be ruled out under dubious circumstances. Then, mere minutes later, Morocco were awarded a particularly soft penalty, sparking an irate reaction from the Senegalese.
In protest, head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players to leave the pitch. They returned after around 15 minutes and the game resumed – only for Morocco ace Brahim Diaz to miss the resulting spot-kick.
Lille vs Manchester United
Lille played host to Manchester United in a 2007 Champions League game. Late on in the outing, Ryan Giggs scored a free kick for the Red Devils while Lille were still assembling their defensive wall.
Despite the objections from the Lille players, the goal stood, prompting them to leave the pitch in a huff. Despite this, they would eventtually return and see out the rest of the game.
This wasn’t the only decision they took exception to – earlier in the game, Peter Odemwingie had a goal controversially ruled out.
Kuwait vs France
This one took place during the 1982 World Cup. Already 3-1 down, France were looking for a fourth to put Kuwait to bed – when a whistle rang out in the crowd, Kuwait’s players paused for a brief moment, allowing France to find the back of the net.
Suffice to say, Kuwait FA President Prince Fahid was not happy. He summoned his players to leave the pitch, refusing to allow them to return until the goal had been chalked off.
Eventually, the referee acquiesced and ruled the effort out. Nevertheless, France would go on to score again and win 4-1 anyway.
AZ Alkmaar vs Ajax
A lack of crowd control characterised the Dutch Cup game between AZ Alkmaar and Ajax in 2011. In the first half, a catastrophically inebriated Ajax fan entered the field of play and made a beeline for AZ goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado.
Unwilling to back down, Alvarado met the fan’s approach with a kick to the stomach, which earned him a red card. AZ’s manager, Gert Jan Verbeek, was incensed – he brought his players off the pitch to protest the decision.
The decision was upheld, but would soon be rescinded by the Dutch FA after the game. Meanwhile, the pitch invader was handed a six-month prison sentence – we hope the hangover was worth it.
Blackburn Rovers vs Burnley
Blackburn Rovers and Burnley is one of Lancashire’s bitterest footballing rivalries – the clash between the two teams in 1891 was a particularly frosty encounter.
It was an extremely cold day, as snow and sleet battered the players on the pitch. In the second half, Blackburn’s players became more and more aggressive – some sources say this was an attempt to stay warm, while others believe they had simply lost interest in the game due to the inclement weather.
After a scuffle erupted between the two teams, all but one of the Blackburn players walked off – they left goalkeeper Herbie Arthur to fend for himself, as the referee called the game off. In his defence, he might’ve been literally frozen to the spot.