The above video is from a provincial league match between Templeuve and Quevy in Belgium. As seen in the video, it appears that midfielder Julien Lecomte took an elbow to the back of the head/neck and went down in a pile in the box. Despite getting carted off the pitch, Lecomte received a yellow for diving, and since it was apparently his second yellow of the match, the red card came out. Reports indicate that Lecomte was diagnosed with cracked vertebrae and a concussion.
During yesterday's Dutch League match between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, an Ajax fan invaded the pitch and went running towards AZ's keeper, Esteban Alvarado, who managed to trip the 19 year old invader and then kicked him for good measure. The match's referee then awarded a red card to Alvarado, who is from Costa Rica, an act that resulted in AZ abandoning the match. Ajax had been leading the match thanks to a goal from Gregory van der Wiel, and, as of the moment, it is not clear whether the match will be awarded to Ajax or if it will be replayed.
While I don't condone Alvarado's decision to kick the young Ajax fan while he was down, I can understand the emotions and level of testosterone that was running through Alvarado, and when that fight or flight instinct kicks in, things happen.
American striker, Jozy Altidore, who currently plays for AZ, showed his support for Esteban via his Twitter account. For more reaction to the incident, be sure to check out this post by Greg Seltzer over at No Short Corners.
