Eintracht Frankfurt captain David Abraham was sent off during Sunday’s fiery Bundesliga encounter against Freiburg after sparking a mass melee by charging into Freiburg head coach Christian Streich on the touchline.
Tempers between the two teams flared spectacularly in injury time with Frankfurt 1-0 down and pushing hard for an equalizer.
But Frankfurt’s Argentine skipper Abraham overstepped the mark when he rushed to retrieve the ball from the touchline, charging into the Freiburg coach at full speed and sending him sprawling.
Some fans even compared the shoulder-charge to a move better suited to the world of wrestling.
Abraham’s actions triggered a mass brawl between both side as the match descended into chaos, before referee Felix Brych handed the Frankfurt captain a straight red card.
"David Abraham is a very emotional player," said Streich afterwards. "He ran towards me at full speed, wanted to grab the ball and score a goal somehow. I couldn't avoid him, and he ran me over. That's all.
"We should all calm down now and stop talking about this thoughtlessly. Football is a contact sport – even though the implementation was clearly in the wrong place."