Riot police took to the pitch in Nautico earlier this year, after Botafogo defender Andre Luis sparked a brawl. Photograph: Public domain
"Has a footballer ever been arrested on the field of play?" asks Phillip Brown.
In 2005, police swooped on the Quilmes defender Leandro Desábato at the final whistle of his team's 3-1 Copa Libertadores defeat to São Paulo. Desábato, it was alleged, had racially slandered opposition striker Grafite and was summarily hauled off to a local police station for questioning. "There's no need for all this chaos," complained the Quilmes coach Gustavo Alfaro after the game. "A football match should start and finish on the pitch. This has all been handled in the wrong way. It was an unnecessary spectacle [for the police] to come on to the field in front of 50,000 or 60,000 people when the player's pulse-rate is still high. He's just lost a game." Desábato was released on £2,000 bail after spending a night in the cells, but no charges were ever brought against him.
The Botafogo defender Andre Luis was also dragged off the field by riot police during a Brazilian championship match at Nautico in June 2008. Luis, sent off for a second booking, reacted furiously to the decision, antagonising opposition fans and sparking a free-for-all among the players. Officers eventually arrested the defender, but not before pepper-spraying his brawling team-mates and opponents. "Footballers are not bandits, and are not to be kicked and punched. This has to stop," raged the Botafogo president Bebeto de Freitas, who was also arrested. "The player was wrong, he will be punished and suspended. What is not acceptable is for him to have pepper in his face or be prodded in the back with a truncheon." Both Luis and De Freitas were released after questioning, although the player was subsequently handed a 12-match ban by the Court of Sports Justice.
Back in England, the Droylsden FC forward Paddi Wilson also felt the long arm of the law while he was warming up ahead of an FA Trophy tie against Ashton in 2002. Greater Manchester police arrived on the scene and was accompanied to the changing rooms for questioning, before being taken to the local nick. "Patrick Wilson was arrested on failing to appear in court in connection with outstanding road traffic offences," confirmed a spokesman for the force. Droylsden went on to win the game 2-1.
Any more for any more? Let us know at the usual address.
BRACE YOURSELVES
"At the end of last season Luca Toni scored two goals in four consecutive games: against Getafe in the Uefa Cup, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and then two more against Dortmund in the German cup final," wrote Vazha Khutsishvili from Tbilisi, a month or two back. "Has anyone managed the same feat?"
Toni spent much of Euro 2008 helping people forget about his striking prowess in the Bundesliga, but his goalscoring streak isn't matched by many. Ben Fuggles reckons Yeovil Town's Howard Forinton deserves more than a passing mention for scoring six braces in seven games (including four in consecutive matches against Staines Town, Sutton United, Purfleet and Oxford City) as the Glovers romped to the title in the 1996-97 season in the Isthmian Premier.
If we go back 80-odd years, and allow for rather large gaps between the matches, William Ralph Dixie Dean scored two goals or more in five successive games for England in 1927: two goals against Wales in February; another brace against Scotland in April; a hat-trick against Belgium the following month; three more goals against Luxembourg in May; and a final brace against France two weeks later. A thank you to Paul Jason Haynes for that.
And Geoff Hooton also asks us to engage in a bit of time-travel. George Camsell went on an amazing scoring run for Middlesbrough in the old Second Division in 1926-27. In 12 consecutive league games, starting on October 16 and finishing on New Year's Day 1927, Camsell scoring run went: 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 2, 4, 5, 2, 3 - a total of 29 goals. In fact, during that season Camsell scored 59 goals in 37 league games to set a new Football League record.
Is George Camsell's scoring streak the most prolific striking spell ever? Email us at knowledge@guardian.co.uk if you know someone who can beat it.
MOST CAPPED CAPTAINS (2)
Last week we suggested Gheorghe Hagi and Paolo Maldini as most capped opposing captains with a combined total of 234 in the Euro 2000 quarter-final between Romania and Italy.
But that mark was broken at this summer's tournament when Holland trounced the French in their Group C encounter a fortnight ago. Step forward skippers Lilian Thuram (winning his 141st, and penultimate, cap) and Edwin van der Sar (picking up his 127th), who therefore managed 268 caps between them. Thanks to Gouke van Drooge, Kiran Emrich and Sean O'Neill for the update.
KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE
"Zambian Laughter Chilembe has played in Zimbabwe for Caps United FC, while I also know about Suprise Moriri from Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa," wrote Tinashe Mutsungi Shoko, back in those halcyon days of 2007. "But my favourite is one called Have-A-Look Dube playing for Njube Sundowns here in Zimbabwe! Any more strange/funny/good/ridiculous football names anyone can dredge up?"
"A quick look reveals some other odd-named players plying their trade in Zimbabwean football for Caps United," begins Mark Baker. "Givemore Manuella, Gift Makolonio and Method Mwanyazi are great names, but they pale into comparison beside Limited Chicafa and the outstandingly-named Danger Fourpence." Staying in Africa, there's also Stephen Sunny Sunday, who plays for Polideportivo Ejido, and South Africa's Naughty Mokoena and Tonic Chabalala. "Surely there can't be any stranger than Austrian side SC Schwanenstadt's marauding midfielder Osa Guobadia?" offers Andy Ferguson, who'll have to do better than that. "He has the name Ice Cream on the back of his shirt." More like it.
A very popular suggestion was Brazilian forward Creedence Clearwater Couto, whose parents were - fortunately - big fans of the American songsters, while there were also calls for former England internationals Harry Daft and Segar Bastard (who, incidentally, refereed an FA Cup final, played cricket for Essex and owned a racehorse).
However, it would be remiss of us to ignore Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway - Charlie to his friends ("I'm named after the QPR 1972-73 promotion-winning team for those of you that have been on the moon all the time I've been at [Brighton]") - or three of our favourites: Australian keeper Norman Conquest, Seychelles star Johnny Moustache, and Congolese striker Bongo Christ.
Can you help?
"Does any top player have a more impressive collection of runners-up medals than Michael Ballack?" asks Tobin Dunn.
"The Uruguayan championship 2007-08 started on August 18 2007, and finished last Wednesday with Defensor Sporting crowned champions. Now, a mini-league with the top six teams will be played to see which teams will play the international competitions. It will end on July 20. That means the season will be 11 months and two days long. Which makes me wonder, has there ever been a longer season?" wonders Pablo Miguez.
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