Sports can get extremely competitive, and the fate of the athletes may hang on a single point or a bad decision from the referee. Recently, Denis Shapovalov was fined for hitting a ball at the umpire. While the umpire escaped without any serious injury and Shapovalov issued an apology, the act was condemned by a lot of people. This was not the first time such an incident has taken place. We take a look at 5 such instances where anger got the better of players.

Luis Suarez bites an opponent

One of the most horrific incidents on the football field. Luis Suarez, who is otherwise a gifted striker, bit Italian defender Giorgio Chielleni during a World Cup match. The defender exposed the bite marks for all to see, and Suarez was slapped a four month ban from all football.

Harbhajan Singh slaps S Sreesanth

In an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, things got real ugly when the whole world had to see a crying Sreesanth. Later, it was revealed that Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh had slapped him. In an interview, Sreesanth revealed that he had gone to Harbhajan and said, “Hard luck, Bhajji pa” in a sarcastic tone.

Eden Hazard kicks a ball boy

Eden Hazard, a fantastic winger for Chelsea, once lost his cool and resorted to kicking when a ballboy refused to hand the ball back to him. To be fair to Hazard, even the ball boy’s behaviour was bad but then Hazard should have had a cooler head considering he is an international icon.

John McEnroe shouts at the umpire

John McEnroe was famous for his on-field antics, and the most famous one was his ‘You Cannot Be Serious’ outburst at the umpire. McEnroe was convinced that the ball was in, even though it had been called out and expressed his anger at the top of his voice.

Stuart Broad throws ball at Zulqarnain Haider

During a Test match against Pakistan, Stuart Broad lost his cool and aggressively threw a ball at the batsman, who was Zulqarnain Haider. The act was condemned for being unsportsmanlike and Broad was fined 50% of his match fee.