Football - the most followed sport in the world has produced some of the finest sporting moments we have ever seen, but at the same time it has also produced moments that have embarrassed the beautiful game. One of those things happened on Wednesday at the Copa America.
Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani was sexually assaulted by Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara during the quarter-final match. Television footage clearly showed Jara sticking his finger up Cavani's backside during his side's 1-0 win.
Football can be a funny old game sometimes. When you tend to think that you have seen it all, it surprises you the very next moment. Nobody would have thought someone biting his opponent on the field, but Luis Suarez did it and not once but thrice. We can all remember the moments where the game has provided some breathtaking moments, where teams have clinched victory from the jaws of the defeat. But at the same time we remember the moments which have tarnished the image of football in one way or the other.
Here are some of the bizarre moments on the football field
Zinedine Zidane headbutts Marco Materazzi
Zinedine Zidane was his country's greatest, most experienced and most important player. He had already helped his country to the World Cup 2006 final in Germany after his team had been all but written off in the competition. He turned from hero to zero inside those 90 minutes. After taking one of the coolest penalty you will ever see in a final, he gave his team an early lead before Marco Materazzi equalised for Italy. But when Zidane's team needed him the most, he did what no one would have expected at that moment of the match. Zidane headbutted Materazzi and was rightly shown the red card. It's still one of the most talked about thing in football.
Diego Maradona's hand of God
The 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England - we all know what happened there. The game was held four years after the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and was a key part in the already intense football rivalry between the two countries. But what happened in the match was clear case of cheating. The first goal, after 51 minutes, came to be known as the 'Hand of God'. Maradona, who at that time was the best footballer on planet, scored by using his hand. Argentina won the game 2-1 and went on to win the trophy.
Kung-Fu kick by Eric Cantona
Racism has been a part of football for a long time now. Debates have raged about whether players should be expected to tolerate the personal abuse or response towards them from the fans. But what happened in January 1995 was one of its kind. One of the first and a high-profile name to take a stand against abuse was the 'King' himself - 'King' Eric Cantona of Manchester United - in their match against Crystal Palace. The game was locked goalless when the Frenchman was red-carded. But what happened after that shocked the entire football fraternity. Cantona took exception to the abuse being levelled at him by one fan when he wrestled free of United's kitman to launch himself over the advertising hoardings with an incredible two-footed, kung-fu-style kick to the chest of the fan.
Luis Suarez bite in World Cup
Suarez bit Giorgio Cheillini during Uruguay's decisive 1-0 victory over Italy in their final Group D game at the World Cup. Suarez stuck his teeth into Chiellini's left shoulder during a Uruguay attack - forcing the Italian hardman to pull down his shirt sleeve and chase the referee to show him the teeth marks. Suarez reacted by holding his mouth to suggest he had accidentally collided with the defender and managed to escape a caution as the incident went unseen by the match official. However, he was slapped with a ban after the match by FIFA.
Cavani sexually assaulted
In a bizarre incident during the Uruguay vs Chile quarter-final in the Copa America on Wednesday, Cavani was sexually assaulted by Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara, who inserted a finger in the back of Cavani. The incident, however, went unnoticed by the referee who instead sent off the Uruguayan for his second yellow-card offence of the match after he flicked his hand into Jara's face. The cameras captured the whole incident and showed Jara's indecent act. Jara has been part of a similar controversy previously in 2013, which incidentally also involved a Uruguay player. Jara reportedly grabbed Suarez's genitals which resulted in Suarez punching the Chilean.
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