8 of the Craziest Things To Ever Happen On A Football Pitch

Football pitches across the world have been home to some incredibly memorable moments. Stunning goals, fantastic assists and ludicrous pieces of skill always live long in the memory, but that's just the half of it.

Every now and then, fans get to see something utterly crazy which they will probably never see again, and it doesn't always link to the actual football being played.

Here are eight of the craziest things to ever happen on a football pitch.

Surprise Visitor Drops in to Watch

In history, plenty of rogue items have found their way on to a pitch, but how many times has a parachutist interrupted proceedings?

In 2013, Salisbury City's meeting with Chester was temporarily halted after a charity parachutist ended up falling on to the field in the middle of a game.

He gathered up his parachute and sheepishly made his way off the pitch, in what was one of the most unique stoppages in history.

Club Owner Protests Disallowed Goal

We all know how frustrating it can be to see your side have a goal ruled out for offside. However, PAOK Salonika president Ivan Savvidis certainly took that anger to the next level in a match against AEK Athens back in March 2018.

Savvidis actually stormed the pitch to confront the referee, but he was spotted carrying a gun in a holster on his hip. AEK's players quickly left the field in fear, and the entire Greek Superleague was suspended soon after.

He was hit with a three-year ban from attending matches, while PAOK were also docked three points. If only the striker had been onside.

Grasshoppers Take Over 2014 World Cup

There is no bigger stage in football than the World Cup. People across the globe understand that, and it looks like some animals do as well.

During the quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup between Colombia and Brazil, midfielder James Rodríguez was targeted by what looked like a giant grasshopper, which landed on his arm to celebrate as he scored a penalty.

Seriously, this thing was enormous. Like, absurdly huge.

Dog Saves the Day

When a goalkeeper makes a mistake and gifts you a clear shot at an open goal, you'd feel pretty good about your chances of scoring. Unfortunately for Argentinian side Juventud Unida, they still had to contend with the 'ruffest' defence of all time - a dog.

In December 2018, the Defensores de Belgrano goalkeeper inadvertedly kicked the ball at an attacker. With the goal empty, the striker simply passed towards the open net, only for a dog to fly on to the pitch and deflect the ball wide.

Heroic. What a good boy.

Steve Bruce Hit by Cabbage

We've already had a parachutist on the pitch, but how about a cabbage?

The start of the 2018/19 season was a tough one for Aston Villa, and it all culminated in manager Steve Bruce being targeted by a disgruntled fan, who threw a cabbage in the direction of the boss.

The image of the cabbage sat next to the dugout has gone down in football history, but for all the wrong reasons.

Josip Šimunić Sees a Lot of Yellow

We all know the rule that two yellow cards turns into a red. Croatia defender Josip Šimunić certainly knows the rule, so he was understandably left scratching his head when he was not dismissed during the 2006 World Cup against Australia.

Having already been booked, Šimunić was shown a second yellow by referee Graham Poll late in the game, but then nothing happened. No red card. Nothing. He was allowed to continue. After the game, Šimunić clashed with the referee and was shown a third yellow card, which finally led to him being sent off... but only after the game was finished.

It turned out that Poll had accidentally written down that he had booked an opposition player as Šimunić, who was born in Australia, spoke with such a strong Australian accent. Whoops.

Newcastle Teammates Come to Blows

Football is a competitive sport. Sometimes, tensions get a bit too high and players butt heads, but rarely does that happen to two men on the same team.

The most infamous case of this came back in 2005 during Newcastle United's meeting with Aston Villa. Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were involved in a bizarre physical fight which saw both players sent off for violent conduct.

To make matters worse, the team lost the game 3-0, in what was a utterly miserable day for everyone involved.

Referee Unable to Finish Game After Losing Teeth

This entry takes us back to Norway in 1957, and specifically a meeting between Ebeltoft and Nørager.

Nørager led 4-3 with seconds to go, but Ebeltoft were on the attack. Unfortunately, it looked like they would not get the chance to equalise as referee Henning Erikstrup went to blow the whistle for full time, only to lose his false teeth.

It doesn't stop there. Ebeltoft did equalise before the whistle was blown, but Erikstrup - who did not even see the goal as he was picking up his teeth - had to rule it out because it technically shouldn't have counted. Protests followed, but the score remained 4-3.

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Source : 90min