The return of domestic football following the international break saw a bunch of derbies being played out. From the Merseyside, South-Coast to the Ruhr derby in Germany, to name but a few.
Though the feisty encounters did not result in any notable foul play, but, to be honest, there probably should've been a red card a Anfield. Ross Barkley was a lucky boy.
But the same cannot be said in Portugal.
It wasn't a derby, yet the game between Canelas 2010 - a team made up of Porto ultras - and Rio Tinto ended in a mass brawl, with police forced to enter the field to calm the situation because of the actions of Marco Gonçalves.
Gonçalves lashed out at a defender which was picked up by referee Jose Rodrigues who, needless to say, brandished the striker with a straight red card.
Prompting a brutal attack on him which included Gonçalves grabbing him by the head and kneeing him in the face.
(Watch Gonçalves lash out at a defender before brutally attacking the referee. Madness:)
The incident happened in the opening TWO minutes of their fourth tier regional district league game, which has seen him banned for life from the club.
Despite him claiming he does not remember doing it.. WHAT?!
"I don't remember hitting him. He was pushing me." Gonçalves told SIC via Goal.
(Porto 'Super Dragons' ultras in attendance. Image: PA)
"You are telling me it was a knee, maybe it was. If that's the case, I really want to apologise to the referee, his family and Rio Tinto."
"He [the opposition player] said to me: 'You son of a bitch, death to your mother!' And I asked: 'Huh?' I put my arm on him and he threw himself to the floor like a baby, crying."
The referee ran towards me out of nowhere and he pulls out the red card. I did not attack him, I did what I said. I was being insulted."
Crazy scenes!
Featured Image Credit:Topics: porto