Head butts are the stuff of soccer headlines around the world. Now, it seems the practice is migrating to American indoor soccer, too.
Video released after the weekend playoff tie between the Baltimore Blast and Missouri Comets shows Comets player Andre Braithwaite walk over to the Blast’s Pat Healey as the teams were shaking hands. Instead of a sportsmanlike handshake, Braithwaite drops Healey with a head butt. As you might guess, the Blast won the game.
The Blast released a statement saying Healey received stitches, and will likely play in the team’s upcoming championship match. Braithwaite was promptly released from the Comets. The head butt, however, was just the tip of the Comets’ tail.
Two red cards were doled out in the postgame commotion, and Comets players blamed the refs for the loss. Coach Vlatko Andonovski told kansascity.com he witnessed a phone call between a ref and First Mariner CEO-turned-Blast owner Ed Hale.
Hale responded in true Sparrows Point fashion. According to ABC2, Hale appeared at the post-game press conference.
“I walked up to [the Comets] and said ‘gentlemen, my name is Ed Hale.’ I’m the owner of the team.’ I said ‘your team was 21-0. You know why? Because they didn’t (expletive) play my team.’”
This kind of gamesmanship is actually pretty normal in world soccer. Maybe the game is really catching on in America, after all.
