For the past few days, India has been shaken by the ongoing feud between Sandeep Maheshwari and Vivek Bindra. Maheshwari and Bindra have been two of the biggest YouTubers in the country. Similarly in the sporting world, there have been often when sportspersons have collided on the field or even off the field with a war of words. In the below article, we will take a look at how sportspersons have often collided in the past.
Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston
Muhammad Ali (or Cassius Clay) vs Sonny Liston will go down as the biggest altercation between two sportspersons. In the lead-up to the match, Cassius Clay was looked at as a youngster who was disrespecting his senior, Liston. Mind you, there is a 10-year age gap between Clay and Liston. When the two heavyweights fought in 1964 and 1965, Lison was well into his 30s while Clay was just beginning his journey towards the top as a 22-23-year-old.
Clay was different when it came to showmanship and he went to such heights that he once went to Liston’s home past midnight and started blaring bus horns. After getting no reaction from Liston, Clay went up close to his window with a flashlight. Police had to intervene to stop the annoyance that Clay was causing after people called 911.
In the ring, Clay or Ali always got the better of his opponent. The two fought twice in 1964 and 1965 in Miami and on both occasions, Ali came on top defeating Liston. When Sonny spit out his mouthpiece at the start of the seventh round in their Miami fight, the odds were 7-1 in Liston’s favour; however, Clay was starting to acquire confidence in his abilities and his capacity to command an audience. In their 1965 rematch, Liston was again the favourite, which is why accusations of a “fix” were made following his first-round loss.
Yuvraj Singh vs Andrew Flintoff
The quarrel or the argument between Andrew Flintoff and Yuvraj Singh might be the closest to a Bollywood movie. India and England squared off in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 where the fight took place. Even though the fight was between the two all-rounders, somehow it was Stuart Broad who faced the brunt of it.
At the end of 18 overs in the first innings, India had scored 171 and looked in sight of getting a total close to 200. Between overs, an argument had started between Andrew Flintoff and Yuvraj Singh. Some words were exchanged between the two and Flintoff told Yuvraj that he would cut off his throat. In response, Yuvraj said, “You see this bat in my hand? You know where I am going to hit you with this bat?” True to his word, Yuvraj showed the World what he meant when he told where he would hit Flintoff. The only exception was that it was Broad who was hit out of the park for six sixes in an over. Yuvraj smashed six sixes in the 19th over and scored the then-quickest fifty in the format reaching the milestone in just 12 balls. With the help of Yuvraj’s onslaught, India reached a total of 207 in the 19th over itself and ended up with 218 runs on the board after their innings.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Erik Ten Hag
Towards the end of his Manchester United career, Cristiano Ronaldo and manager Erik Ten Hag frequently disagreed. During a match against Tottenham, Ten Hag started Ronaldo on the bench; but, when requested to enter the game, Ronaldo steadfastly refused. Ronaldo was dropped out of the squad to face Chelsea by an enraged Ten Hag, who instead sent him to train with the youth squad. Ronaldo and Ten Hag both criticised each other in the public eye.
Harbhajan Singh vs Andrew Symonds
What started as sledging (quite common in cricket) was turned into a racism scandal which was later termed ‘Monkeygate’. The controversy was brewing since the start of the Sydney test match in 2008 where on-field umpire Steve Bucknor’s multiple decisions went in Australia’s favour. Helped by the calls scored 463 runs in the first innings. In reply, India lost seven wickets with a score of 345 on the board. Sachin Tendulkar was joined by Harbhajan Singh who then shared a century stand for the eighth wicket.
Amidst the partnership, Singh had whacked Brett Lee and followed it with a pat on the back. Andrew Symonds did not like Bhajji’s gesture and gave him a word or two. In reply, Harbhajan also retaliated with some abuses. On-field umpire, Mark Benson too got involved and said some strong words to Bhajji. Benson was told by the Australian players that the Indian off-spinner had passed a racial comment at Symonds and had called him a monkey.
Mike Procter, the match referee, declared that Harbhajan had committed a level 3 infraction of the ICC code of conduct and imposed a three-test ban on him. But it was followed by a judicial proceeding at the federal courthouse in Adelaide. Symonds called Ponting, Matthew Hayden, and Michael Clarke as witnesses. Tendulkar served as Harbhajan’s witness. Judge John Hansen, the ICC appeals commissioner, finally gave Harbhajan some relief when he ruled that he was not guilty of making a racial remark about Symonds. Rather, he was hit with a 50% match fee fine.
Carlos Tevez vs Roberto Mancini
Sergio Aguero’s 2012 title-winning goal at Manchester City will live in Roberto Mancini’s memory forever. However, Mancini will undoubtedly make an effort to put his 2011 altercation with Argentine striker Carlos Tevez behind him.
Tevez declined to play in a match against Bayern Munich off the bench. Mancini intended to add the Argentine striker to the game when City was behind 2-0. Unexpectedly, Tevez turned down the invitation to play, which prompted Mancini to declare in the post-game speech that Tevez would never play for him.
Tevez received a 500,000-pound punishment in addition to a two-week ban from the team.
Gautam Gambhir vs Sreesanth
Former Indian cricket players S Sreesanth and Gautam Gambhir got into a furious argument during a recent Legends League Cricket 2023 Eliminator match, with Sreesanth accusing Gambhir of needless instigation. Following the Capitals’ 12-run victory, Sreesanth took strong exception to Gambhir’s comments, branding him a “fixer” on live TV and accusing him of demeaning veteran players. Sreesanth pointed out how inappropriate Gambhir’s remarks and behaviour on the pitch were while angrily denying any wrongdoing. When Gambhir was batting, the argument got out of hand and the umpire had to step in.
Sreesanth addressed the incident on social media, outlining Gambhir’s use of derogatory language, which included the ‘F’ word. The following day, Gambhir gave a subdued social media response, captioned, “Smile when the world is all about attention,” maybe trying to minimise the altercation. The conversation highlights the animosity between the two former teammates and raises awareness of the Legends League Cricket tournament’s on-field behaviour and sportsmanship.
