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There seems to be no end to the recent trend of boorishness in football. After a referee walked out in protest at a Bundesliga game in Germany, there was a new low in Turkey on Sunday where even the referee could not escape the wrath of the players.

Turkish giants Galatasaray were involved in a heated clash with long-time rivals Trabzonspor. Two Trabzonspor players had already been sent off, when in the 86th minute, their defender Luis Cavanda brought down Galatasaray's Umut Bulut inside the box. The referee Deniz Ates Bitnel had no hesitation in awarding a penalty and sending the offending player, Cavanda, off.

As usual, the incensed Trabzonspor players would have none of it. They surrounded Bitnel and continued remonstrating with him. In the melee, the referee dropped his red card and defender Salih Dursun immediately picked it up and brandished it in the referee's direction.

The furious referee took his card back and immediately sent Durson off as well. The result was that Trabzonspor were left with only seven players on the pitch and Galatsaray scored on the penalty to win the game 2-1.

The incident raised questions about the credibility of Turkish football, but the chairman of Trabzonspor remained unfazed and was quoted as saying, "This is not a symbol of rebellion. It is a symbol of rebirth." Dursun was welcomed back to his club as a hero with supporters of the club taking out a march in his support, waving red cards.

Of course, this is not the first time a football player has waved a card at an official. Paul Gascoigne, the English legend who was never far away from controversy, showed a yellow card to a referee in jest while playing for Glasgow Rangers against Hibernian. The referee though did not see the funny side of things and booked him.

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In 2003, Birmingham City were playing Newcastle United when the referee inadvertently struck down a Birmingham midfielder. Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer ensured the referee knew what he thought of him as he showed him a red card.

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