DTotD: Goalkeeper banned four years for viciously kicking opponent in the head
October 1, 2016
A series of bad decisions has resulted in a goalkeeper receiving a four-year ban from the Chilean Football Association after he brutally kicked an opponent in the head during a third division match. The reason Claudio Abarca kicked Diego Diaz in the head, breaking his jaw in the process, is because Diaz decided to punch him in the balls.
Now, punching people in the balls is a bad idea no matter what the circumstances, but it’s especially bad when you’re already lying on the ground. You don’t want to royally piss someone off while you’re already in that much of a vulnerable position. That doesn’t excuse Abarca for his overzealous retaliation, but it does explain it.
Abarca was arrested by police right then and there. According to ESPN FC, he had to spend a night in jail. Diaz, meanwhile, was taken away on a stretcher and treated at a hospital for his broken jaw.
As awful as this situation was, hopefully it taught these two men that ball punches and head kicks are not good things to do.
This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.