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Assignment 5

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Effects on cohesion

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When La Liga leaders Barcelona face third-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday, they will be led out by a man whose playing abilities could never be questioned but whose leadership skills often are: Lionel Messi.

This is Messi's first season as club captain following the departure of Andres Iniesta and, over the years, he has regularly been confronted by allegations that he is not suited for the role.

Is it fair? Should Barca give the armband to somebody else? Messi is obviously a great player...but is he a poor captain?

Maradona leads the complaints

Predictably, many of the fiercest criticisms of Messi's leadership attributes have come from Argentina, where he has struggled to command the universal affection he enjoys in Barcelona.

Most recently, national icon Diego Maradona used a bizarre television interview with Fox Sports as an opportunity to lambast Messi's captaincy of the national team, which he has held since 2011.

"It's useless to make a leader out of someone who goes to the toilet 20 times before a game," said Maradona. "Rather than talking with his team-mates he'll play video games."

Maradona's words were soon shot down. The defence of Messi was led by another Argentine World Cup-winning hero, Mario Kempes.

"Every time Diego opens his mouth it's a problem because he doesn't respect people," retorted Kempes. "Diego's time has passed, and neither is he a good example to say such things."

It is, indeed, increasingly difficult to take Maradona seriously. But he did spend nearly two years working directly with Messi during an ill-fated stint as Argentina coach (2008-2010), so his argument carries some weight.

And Maradona is not alone. Another former Argentina skipper, Daniel Passarella, has also argued that Messi is not suited to captaincy, saying: "The leader of the group is different to the way you play. I admire Messi but his personality is withdrawn and timid."

Messi certainly doesn't fit the traditional mould of a captain: the boisterous and charismatic extrovert who leads his team with exuberant enthusiasm. So are Maradona and Passarella right?

More mature and self-confident: the new Messi

Passarella's argument is more sensible than Maradona's, but you will not find anyone in Barcelona who agrees with it. As far as everyone there is concerned, Messi is the team's undisputed leader.

The key to that belief is the way in which Messi has changed over the years. He has become more confident and comfortable in his own skin, progressing far from the timid teenager who was so quiet that some of his team-mates initially wondered whether he was mute.

Albert Masnou, deputy editor of Barcelona-based daily newspaper Sport, believes Messi has undergone a remarkable personal transformation.

"Something really noticeable is Leo's increased maturity," said Masnou. "Now, Leo does everything with a naturalness which can amaze those who used to consider him timid or introverted.

"He has been growing and maturing, and you can see that on and off the field. I don't think captaincy has changed him, but he has assumed the role with great maturity."

This has been a natural growing-up process for Messi: a shy boy in a foreign land gradually maturing into a confident adult with a wife and children, most career objectives already achieved and a strong sense of his place in the world.

Messi's ex-international team-mate Pablo Zabaleta agrees with Masnou's assessment, believing his old friend is now perfectly suited to the demands of captaining Barca.

"When you are a captain, you have responsibilities to welcome everyone," Zabaleta stated in my book, Lionel Messi and the Art of Living. "Leo does that more naturally now because he is more mature.

"He's not a kid any more - in fact he's the father of his own three kids! He's grown up, and he's also a family man who knows how to treat people like a family."

Still understated, but more assertive

Messi's newfound maturity manifests itself in a more assertive manner, an ability to express himself more confidently and clearly.

He still conducts media interviews relatively rarely, but he speaks more than previously and is no longer the tongue-tied youngster who struggled to string two sentences together.

Masnou believes Messi's reticence gives him a greater sense of authority when he does talk, noting: "When he speaks, it's because he's really got something to say and everyone listens to him. What he says is meaningful."

An example came in August, when Messi was required to deliver a traditional pre-season speech to fans before a friendly against Boca Juniors.

Rather than issuing the bland platitudes expected from a supposedly meek introvert, Messi instead made a bold pledge: "Last season was really good as we did the double but we all felt bad about how it went in the Champions League. We promise this season we will do everything we can to bring that beautiful trophy back to the Nou Camp."

That speech made a huge impression among fans, immediately becoming a rallying cry. Masnou notes with particular surprise that "nobody prepared the speech for him...he improvised it," and they absolutely weren't the words of a man who shies away from leadership.

Increasingly, the same kind of purposeful assertiveness is being seen behind the scenes. A couple of weeks ago, for instance, Messi approached Barca coach Ernesto Valverde to ask why Malcom, a summer signing from Bordeaux, had not been receiving more playing time.

Valverde responded by introducing Malcom from the bench during the Champions League game at Inter Milan for his first appearance since September. Two minutes later, the Brazilian scored with his first touch.

Leading by example

As far as his team-mates are concerned, perhaps the most significant aspect of Messi wearing the skipper's armband is a subtler form of captaincy: leading by example.

Zabaleta has the unique distinction of both captaining and being captained by Messi during their 11 years together with Argentina's youth and senior international teams, and he believes Messi's presence alone makes him a worthy leader.

"If I see Leo Messi is showing me his ambition to win, that's inspiring," he said. "If the best player in the world is producing his best in every game, then every single player needs to do the same. You follow people like that."

Winger Malcom concurs, telling ESPN Brazil: "He always wants the best for the group. This is why he's captain and someone who can inspire players to give their best. Coming from someone who has five Ballon d'Or awards, you're motivated."

Right now, this is all particularly pertinent for Ousmane Dembele. The French winger, 21, is struggling to translate his undoubted talent into effective performances, and a stream of disciplinary issues are seriously testing Barca's patience.

One train of thought argues that Messi, as club captain, should personally intervene, setting Dembele on the right path with some well-chosen words of reprimand and encouragement.

But although Dembele needs help from others, he also needs to help himself. And there would surely be no better way of learning how to convert his youthful talent into a successful career than emulating the example set by his captain, right in front of his eyes.

Messi is not the type to motivate the likes of Dembele through rousing speeches or kick-up-the-backside sermons. But Dembele doesn't need to listen to Messi; he just needs to watch him. What better leader could he possibly have?

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Lionel Messi: Is Barcelona forward really cut out for captaincy?

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When La Liga leaders Barcelona face third-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday, they will be led out by a man whose playing abilities could never be questioned but whose leadership skills often are: Lionel Messi.

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Alex Ferguson - Secrets of Success

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Sir Alex Ferguson  Secrets of Success   Documentary

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Steiner’s Model for Effectiveness

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Group Dynamics

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Arousal, anxiety and sports performance

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Arousal Analysis

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Controlling Anxiety

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Arousal Theories

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Aggression Example

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Stuart Broad fined 15 per cent of match fee and handed demerit point for 'aggressive language'

Stuart Broad has been found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct

England bowler used 'aggressive language' after dismissing Rishabh Pant

Broad said to have been attempting to provoke a reaction from the Indian

Stuart Broad has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point for 'aggressive language' aimed at Rishabh Pant.

The England bowler is found to have made a level one breach of the ICC Code of Conduct after dismissing the Indian debutant on Sunday.

Broad is deemed to have been aggressive in his behaviour after bowling the wicketkeeper on Sunday.

The ICC believe Broad breached Article 2.1.7 which relates to 'using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.'

The clash occurred in the 92nd over of India's first innings on Sunday morning, with Broad confronting Pant.

The India wicketkeeper was dismissed for 24 as the tourists were bowled out for 329 in their first innings before blowing away the England middle order later in the day.

Broad is said to have been attempting to provoke a reaction from the Indian batsman and accepted the sanction.

England managed to take the fourth Test into a final day with India needing just one wicket to secure victory and keep the series alive heading to Southampton next week.

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Stuart Broad fined 15 per cent of match fee for 'aggressive language'

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Stuart Broad has been found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct England bowler used 'aggressive language' after dismissing Rishabh Pant Broad said to have been attempting to provoke a reaction from the Indian Stuart Broad has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point for 'aggressive language' aimed at Rishabh Pant.

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Assertive Example

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Steph Houghton: England star, role model, leader

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'Steph' - England's World Cup Captain Broadcast on BBC One in the North East and Cumbria and North West on Friday, 5 June at 19:30 BST, shown nationwide on BBC Two Monday, 8 June at 23:20 BST Steph Houghton has become one of the most recognisable faces in women's sport following her success with the Team GB and England football teams. The 27-year-old exploded onto the national scene when her winning goal under the Wembley floodlights earned Team GB a famous 1-0 win against Brazil during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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Aggression Example

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From the Vault: Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield in both ears

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When two heavyweight greats met in Las Vegas 20 years ago, Mike Tyson lost control and Evander Holyfield lost half an ear

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"Eric had a fuse on him. There is no doubt about that. Ultimately he exploded..." (former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister) "People have said this is the most famous common assault case in the history of the English legal system." (former United director and solicitor Maurice Watkins)
Twenty years on, the kung-fu kick former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona launched at Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons, moments after being sent off at Selhurst Park, still resonates as one of sport's most extraordinary events, even by the standards of football's melodramas.

The Frenchman was already an icon at Old Trafford after inspiring them to successive league titles, the first ending a barren run of 26 years, after his arrival from Leeds in November 1992. This retaliatory act of violence, which he never attempted to defend, merely added to his legend.

In a special show broadcast on Thursday, 22 January, BBC Radio 5 live explored in detail arguably the most shocking episode in Premier League history.

Former United players Gary Pallister and David May, then club director and solicitor Maurice Watkins, former United head of security 'Ned' Kelly, ex-Palace manager Alan Smith and Palace supporter Cathy Churchman recount the story of the infamous incident, the subsequent court appearances, and Cantona's celebrated "seagulls" quote.

A figure of hate... wearing black
25 January, 1995. Defending champions United travel to south-east London in second place, two points behind leaders Blackburn, who they had beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford three days earlier with Cantona scoring the winner. Victory at lowly Palace would return United to the top of the league.
Pallister: "Eric was always the number one target for supporters around the country. It wasn't just players who tried to wind him up but fans felt as though they could do it as well. Some of the abuse he got was terrible. Eventually it took its toll on him I think and it all came to a head that night. He was such a hate figure because he was such a good player."

Smith: "What distinctly hit me was that they played in all black that night. None of them had shaved and they looked a pretty ferocious team. I was thinking 'this is going to be a long evening'."
Palace centre-back Richard Shaw is given the job of man-marking Cantona.
Smith: "Shawsie had this sort of bubbly, curly hair. He put a load of grease on. He used to put a lot of Vaseline around his face and mouth. He was the most charming, gentle guy you could ever meet but he looked pretty ferocious on the field. I think he was really up for marking Cantona."
Cantona is the subject of a series of hefty challenges, from Shaw in particular.
Smith: "If you want to say 'gave him one', Shawsie certainly went in. I don't have a lot of sympathy with Cantona. He is a big man, carries himself well, and he had given a fair amount out. Shawsie just thought 'it's on the halfway line, it's in front of the dug-out - I'll go for it'.

Then United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (writing in his autobiography Managing My Life): "[Referee] Alan Wilkie's inability to stamp out the disgraceful tackles from Crystal Palace's two central defenders made subsequent trouble unavoidable."

'There was this look... His eyes were seething'
In the 48th minute, Shaw comes into contact with Cantona as he chases a punt from keeper Peter Schmeichel and the Frenchman retaliates with a petulant kick. He is red carded and walks off down the side of the pitch, with United kitman Norman Davies escorting him towards the dressing rooms.
Churchman: "All of a sudden he turned and looked back; I thought he was looking at me. I had no idea where this other guy [Simmons] had suddenly appeared from. There was this look on Cantona's face. His eyes were seething. You just knew at that point he was going to do something silly."

Kelly: "This chap just came straight down the gangway and started screaming abuse at Eric. He was okay when the guy was effing and jeffing at him but I think he called his mother a 'French whore' and that was the turning point. The next thing I know Eric is over the barrier giving him a kung-fu kick and punches are flying."

Churchman: "All hell broke loose as he jumped over the barrier. I can remember falling into my 15-year-old son and Eric's boot just brushing past my coat. Everyone looked at each other saying 'oh my God, what just happened' It was all over in seconds."

May: "I was stood in the middle of the pitch and there was a roar from the crowd. You look over and... I just thought 'what the hell are you doing'? You run over to see what is going on. It is kicking off and it is a case of 'one for all, all for one'. Everyone joined in."

Pallister: "I think I was one of the only players that didn't run over. I just stood there in disbelief. I was more in shock at what I'd just witnessed."

Kelly: "I took it upon myself just to go straight down there. I pushed a couple of stewards out of the way and found my way into the dressing room and Eric was in there with Norman. I told Norman to get back out there and that I would take over from here."
With the ground in a state of heightened fervour, United go 1-0 up in the 57th minute.
May: We had a corner, I stayed up, got set up by Lee Sharpe and scored my first United goal. I thought 'here we go'. I was going to get a nice little bit of positivity in the papers the next day. That is all I could think of."
Cantona, meanwhile, is silently digesting the impact of his actions.
Kelly: "He was sitting on the bench next to his stuff, very quiet, shirt off, thinking about what has gone on. It was dead silent, you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Sometimes you step back and realise you don't say anything."

No hairdryer for Eric - May feels full blast
An equaliser from Palace defender Gareth Southgate denies 10-man United victory. The away dressing room is ablaze with recriminations.
May: "The manager is ripping heads off everyone... Big Pete (Schmeichel), Big Pally, myself, Sharpey, Paul Ince. He had a go at me for their equaliser. He said, 'who the hell was marking Southgate?'. I said 'Eric'. He turned round and said 'Eric, I am disappointed in you. You can't be doing those things'. I thought 'Is that it? Is that it?!' Any other player would have been given the hairdryer. I just got the hairdryer off the gaffer for not marking someone I shouldn't have been marking."

Pallister: "Eric was very subdued. He just sat quietly in the corner. He didn't really say anything. I think he understood the magnitude of what had happened. Everybody was trying to come to terms with how we were going to deal with it."

Kelly: "All the directors came in and were stuck in a corner - Mike Edelsen, Maurice Watkins, Martin Edwards - discussing the way forward."

Smith: "Afterwards, I saw Sir Alex and he shook hands and said, 'What the bloody hell was wrong with that then?' I said 'Alex, that's an everyday occurrence in Putney High Street'. Because of his tunnel vision for everything, he was even trying to put a case that Cantona had been badly treated. I just sort of said, 'No Alex, totally agree, nothing wrong with it. Everyday occurrence'."

Kelly: We let everyone else go out to the coach then me and Eric came out together at the end. There were fans outside baying for blood but I was quite confident I could deal with it and you've got to remember Eric was 6ft 2in and from a rough area of Marseille - he could look after himself."

"We were getting reports Manchester Airport was packed with press but we made contact with security who told the driver where to go. We got Eric into the car on the tarmac and drove him to the car park, where he got into his own car and drove home."

The fall-out - crime and punishment
Sir Alex Ferguson, upset at the loss of two points and "enclosed in my other world" on his return home, only starts to fully digest the Cantona incident early the next morning.
Ferguson: "By 4am I was up and watching a video. It was pretty appalling. Over the years since I have never been able to elicit an explanation from Eric but my own feeling is that anger at himself over the ordering off and resentment at the referee's earlier inaction combined to take him over the brink."

Churchman: "I worked at a hotel group at the time. My boss phoned me to say he'd seen me on TV. Within an hour of me getting to work the next morning we were besieged by reporters. It was quite surreal seeing my picture all over the papers. But it hit home that I needed a new haircut, and a new coat."
Ferguson and members of the United board - chief executive Martin Edwards, chairman of the PLC board Sir Roland Smith and Watkins - meet at the Alderley Edge Hotel that evening to determine the club's response.
Ferguson: "We were unanimous that it had to be powerful enough to protect Manchester United's reputation and we agreed that we should impose a four-month suspension on Eric, which would rule him out for the rest of the season."
United also fine Cantona £20,000. The FA subsequently summon him to a disciplinary hearing and extend the ban to nine months, until the end of September, and fine the player a further £10,000.
Watkins: "I think the club acted properly in the way they handled it. Eric accepted the punishment we decided to impose. As you can imagine, there were all kinds of suggestions that the club should terminate his contract and all the rest of it. But the club felt that they had to stand by their player. That is why we were disappointed when, subsequently, the FA decided to heap on a greater punishment."

In the dock... and eating fast food in the cells
23 March 1995: Cantona faces assault charges at East Croydon Magistrates Court.
Kelly: "Paul Ince [who was also in court, facing a charge of common assault, on the same day], took him down in his car and they went out on the town. The tabloid press were there with their cameras and got them leaving Browns [nightclub]I think it was, at 3am. I wasn't there, they went out without me. I drove down that night and the next day Maurice asked me where Eric was - he knew where they'd been because he saw the papers - and I don't think that helped his case, to be honest."

"We left the hotel, which was 60 or 70 metres away from the court and we had to run the gauntlet of the press. I just grabbed hold of his wrist and pushed my way through. We got him inside eventually and he was signing autographs."
Cantona pleads guilty. The magistrate tells him: "You are a high-profile figure. The only appropriate sentence is two weeks' imprisonment, forthwith."
Watkins: "You could have heard a pin drop when the sentence was imposed. Then, as you can imagine, it was mayhem. Everybody was stunned. Even the prosecuting lawyer was very surprised at the decision of the bench because it ran counter to all the sentencing guidelines. One minute Eric was a free man, the next minute he was taken down to the cells. He was in the cells for three and a half hours."

Kelly: "I think Eric was in a bit of shock. We all were. I followed him down the stairs with the prison wardens and we went in and sat down together in the cell. One of the old police officers said 'don't have the food in here; I'll go and get you something from down the road'. So I gave him some money and he went down to McDonald's and got some Big Macs and French fries so we ate that and had a good laugh about it."

"I gave Eric my phone and he called his wife, and Marseille to tell his family. Then he said, 'I can't be bothered with this, I might be better if I just serve this 14 days and get it over and done with'. I said 'no way, wait until Maurice gets back'."
Watkins and his legal team apply for bail, which is turned down by the magistrate.
Watkins: "So we had to charge up to the Crown Court, which luckily wasn't too far away. We lodged a notice of appeal and made an application for bail."
The judge grants bail and sets an appeal hearing for the following week.
Watkins: "We didn't have a lot of time to breathe but at least we got him out and back home and we could start work on the appeal."

Kelly: "On the way back up we stopped at what used to be the Four Seasons at Manchester Airport and I said, 'Do you fancy a beer at Mulligans?'. Eric had a couple of beers before I took him home."

The appeal, the seagulls and fingers in doors
31 March, 1995. Cantona returns to Croydon, this time to the Crown Court, for an appeal hearing.
Watkins: "I had a bit of a problem because I had got a bad back. I just couldn't get out of bed. They were looking for me. I was trying to get some attention and in the end, the hotel doctor came for me and gave me a few jabs and got me back on my feet again."
Cantona's QC tells the judge his custodial sentence is "flawed, and contrary to the express will of Parliament". He is sentenced to 120 hours of community service instead. United then hold a news conference.
Watkins: "Eric wasn't too keen but he said 'OK, but I would like to say something'. Then we started drafting what he was going to say. He was scribbling on a bit of paper and he asked me 'what is the name of that big ship that catches fish'. I said 'that's a trawler Eric'. 'And the big bird that flies over the sea?'. 'A seagull'. Then he wrote it out and we had the famous saying."

"I think I knew what he was getting at, as did quite a lot of other people once they had analysed it. But he didn't want me to explain it. He was quite adamant about that. He said 'I am going to say this but I don't want you to explain what I mean'. So, off he went."

Kelly: "We were upstairs in one of the offices of these hotels. Maurice was there talking with the QC and I was looking out the window at all the press. Eric was with his agent - Jean-Jacques Bertrand - and he looked up at me and said, 'Ned, what do you call a fishing boat in England?' and I said, 'a trawler'. Then they started speaking in French so I didn't have a clue what they were saying. He then said, 'what do you call these small fish?' and I had a think about it before saying 'sardines'. Then he said, 'what is the English word for the birds that fly beyond them?' I said, 'seagulls' and that's how it started."
In a room packed with expectant journalists, the enigmatic Frenchman utters the following line, before promptly getting up and taking his leave: "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea."
Watkins: [After the news conference] they dropped me off at my hotel but unfortunately I left my fingers in the door. The counsel slammed the door on it. I started off [the day] with an injection and finished it off with the doctor that night putting my fingers together again."

The ban - shooting pheasants in Hereford

Kelly: "The first thing we did was get him out of where he was living in the north side of Manchester. Mark Hughes had a spare house over in the Prestbury area and we moved him there out of the way and he stayed there until he left.

"I was there to look after him, really. The abuse he was getting from other supporters was quite horrific. I found out he liked shooting and hunting and I had a couple of mates down at Hereford who did that and we went on to one lad's private property down there and shot some pheasants.

"His father was a keen outdoors man as well so he'd come over and I'd take them down to Hereford for a day of shooting then we'd drive up to Manchester that night. Towards the end of it, we went to local places around the Cheshire area and he was a hell of a shot."
Cantona did coaching sessions for children during the week at United's old training ground at The Cliff. But under the terms of his ban he was not allowed to play in any organised matches. United attempted to schedule a series of training games against local teams to keep Cantona involved, but were censured in a letter from the FA once the matches became public knowledge. Deeply frustrated, Cantona informed United he was moving back to France.
Ferguson: "The next morning I contacted Eric's advisor and told him I was ready to fly to Paris. We met at a restaurant in which Eric was waiting for us with [his agent] Jean-Jacques Bertrand and a secretary. There was no-one else in the place and the owner had put the ferme [closed] sign on the door. Eric was delighted to see me and to hear what I had to say... I believe he wanted me to put an arm round him and convince him that everything would be all right."
1 October 1995: Cantona returns against Liverpool at Old Trafford, setting up a goal for Nicky Butt inside two minutes, and then scoring an equalising penalty in a 2-2 draw. He scores 13 more league goals, including the winner in five 1-0 victories, as United overhaul a 12-point deficit on Newcastle to regain the league title. Cantona also contributes five goals to United's FA Cup campaign, including the winner over Liverpool in the final, as they complete the Double.
Watkins: "Obviously it was a very unsettling time for him and he was out of the game for such a long time. But I think he came back stronger than ever. He was such an influence at the club."

Pallister: "He had his mind set that he wasn't going to return to English football because of the way he was treated. He thought it was unfair. But the manager was obviously very persuasive. He came back the same player, the same genius."
Interviews by Ben Smith and Simon Stone. Edited by Bryn Palmer.

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Eric Cantona's kung-fu kick: The moment that shocked football

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"Eric had a fuse on him. There is no doubt about that. Ultimately he exploded..." (former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister) "People have said this is the most famous common assault case in the history of the English legal system."

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Max Verstappen Aggressive Racing 2016 F1 {1080p 60fps}

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Team Sky's Gianni Moscon kicked off Tour de France for striking opponent

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Team Sky's Gianni Moscon has been thrown out of the Tour de France after an altercation during stage 15, while Magnus Cort Nielsen sprinted to the stage win in Carcassonne

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JOEY BARTON manchester city vs qpr barton red card.

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Marseille have suspended Patrice Evra after he kicked a fan in the head before his side's Europa League defeat at Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday.

Footage showed the 36-year-old former Manchester United defender aiming an acrobatic kick at a supporter at the side of the pitch during the warm-up.

Evra will be interviewed before any disciplinary action is decided.

A Marseille statement also condemned the "unacceptable behaviour" by a "handful of provocateurs".

European football's governing body Uefa charged France international Evra with violent conduct earlier on Friday, with the full-back suspended for "at least one game".

French newspaper L'Equipe reported that Marseille supporters had been jeering Evra for about half an hour while the players prepared for the game, which the Ligue 1 side lost 1-0.

The player had gone over to the fans to talk to them - but the situation escalated.

Evra, who was named as a substitute, was dismissed before kick-off, and Marseille began the game with 11 players.

"As a professional and experienced player, Patrice Evra could not respond in such an inappropriate way," the statement added.

"In addition, the first results of the internal investigation conducted by the club reveal unacceptable behaviour on the part of a handful of provocateurs who uttered particularly serious hateful attacks against the player, even though the latter and his team-mates warmed up for an important game."

His former Manchester United and France team-mate, Mikael Silvestre, told BBC Sport Evra had "no future" at Marseille, but that the incident would not be the end of his career.

How it happened

Named as a substitute, Evra begins warming up with his team-mates before the game

The former Manchester United left-back appears to be the target of songs and abuse from the crowd for about 30 minutes

Evra approaches the Marseille fans, about 500 of whom had travelled to Guimaraes

He volleys a ball towards the crowd, but some of his team-mates come over and look to calm the defender down

Evra climbs over the billboards and looks to confront spectators who have come towards the front of the stand

The 36-year-old returns to the pitch, but a group of fans approach the billboards and Evra appears to kick one of them

Evra is led away to the substitutes' bench, but is sent off by the referee and watches the game from the stands

Analysis
Julien Laurens, French football expert
It is really sad. Patrice Evra is 36, he has got two children. He has played five Champions League finals, a Euro final, won lots of titles and this is probably the last few weeks of his career - it is really sad this is how he is going to end.

You shouldn't abuse your own player - the abuse from the fans was targeted only at Evra - but Evra should never have responded the way he did.

It has been really tough for him since the beginning of the season. He lost his place in the team, he has been really poor every time he played, and I think he just couldn't take the jeers, the abuse.

There were a lot of insults, but the fans were also saying stuff like: "You're rubbish, go home. Keep doing your videos, but stop playing football."

The way they insulted him and his family - that doesn't justify his reaction - but you can see why he got frustrated.

He is 100%. He says things like they are, he reacts the way they are. He says there are no fibs with him, so you get it as he says it or as he does it. Sometimes he should think a bit more.

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Patrice Evra: Marseille suspend defender after kicking fan during warm-up

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Marseille have suspended Patrice Evra after he kicked a fan in the head before his side's Europa League defeat at Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday. Footage showed the 36-year-old former Manchester United defender aiming an acrobatic kick at a supporter at the side of the pitch during the warm-up.

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Aggression Example

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Huddersfield Giants half-back Danny Brough has been suspended for three matches after being found guilty of a dangerous contact charge.

Brough was sent to the sin-bin during the Giants' 20-6 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Catalans on Thursday.

He was initially handed a two-match penalty notice, but after pleading not guilty and Giants challenging the charge, another match was added on.

Brough, 35, has also been fined £500 and he will forfeit a £500 bond.

His suspension will see him miss Friday's Super League match against Leeds Rhinos as well as the crucial clashes with bottom-four rivals Catalans and Hull KR.

Rhinos prop Anthony Mullally will also miss Friday's match after he accepted a charge of raising a knee in a tackle against Leigh Centurions.

Other disciplinary cases heard by the Rugby Football League's disciplinary panel also saw Leigh players Peter Mata'utia and Matty Dawson-Jones suspended for four and five matches respectively.

Mata'utia and Dawson-Jones were sent off in the 52-22 defeat by Leeds on Friday. Mata'utia saw red for a dangerous tackle on Matt Purcell while Dawson-Jones was dismissed for appearing to talk back to referee Chris Kendall.

Both players accepted charges of a dangerous throw and questioning the integrity of a match official.

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Danny Brough: Huddersfiueld Giants half-back suspended for three matches

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Huddersfield Giants half-back Danny Brough has been suspended for three matches after being found guilty of a dangerous contact charge. Brough was sent to the sin-bin during the Giants' 20-6 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Catalans on Thursday. He was initially handed a two-match penalty notice, but after pleading not guilty and Giants challenging the charge, another match was added on.

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It's just before half-time in the second leg of Arsenal's Champions League qualifier against Besiktas. With the aggregate score line at 0-0, tension is high at the Emirates. Suddenly, a tantalising flick from Mesut Ozil cracks open the visitors' stubborn defence, allowing Jack Wilshere to tee up Alexis Sanchez, who tucks home the winner.

With that Ozil-orchestrated goal, the Gunners secured qualification to the Champions League and the £40 million payday that comes with it.

Yet, as they queued at the Tube afterwards, the satisfaction of many Arsenal fans was tempered by one thing: a consensus that Ozil contributed "absolutely nothing" to the victory.

His crucial contribution to a game of football had been overlooked - as it often has since he arrived on these shores last year. The German playmaker attracts a variety of opinions from pundits in studio and armchair, but they generally agree on one thing: he had a disastrous 2013/14.

Yet Ozil's 'disastrous' season was the sort many players can only dream of. He had a talismanic impact at Arsenal, his very arrival lifting a bewildered club to the top of the league for four months. He won the FA Cup and World Cup, was statistically Germany's key player in Brazil, and remained a guaranteed name on the team-sheets of two of the game's most discerning coaches: Joachim Low and Arsene Wenger.

Meanwhile, Europe's leading assists man of the past five years has seen his pass-completion percentage reach a new high since arriving in London. Some disaster. As Ozil reflects on the vast gap between the level of his contribution and the recognition it receives, no wonder those big eyes of his appear ever more startled at the irony of it.

Football and introversion

Football is showbusiness, but its history includes a tradition of seeming introverts. Pat Nevin, Darren Anderton and Paul Scholes were shy in their stardom. In his younger years, Gareth Bale was described as "painfully" retiring. Leighton Baines missed out on a place in Fabio Capello's squad for the 2010 World Cup because he was deemed too shy and introverted. Had he been picked, he'd have faced Ozil at his devastating best in Bloemfontein.

In football, where flamboyant forwards, crunching midfielders and chest-thumping defenders command our attention, the introvert is easy to miss. Alexis Sanchez forms an instructive contrast to his team-mate Ozil. He plays at a frenzied tempo and makes ostentatious workhorse gestures; he pulls his shorts Cowell-high before delivering a set-piece, and rips his shirt off when he scores. The extrovert Chilean plays to the gallery, and those in the gallery love it.

Historically, at the flamboyant end of the extrovert scale we have likes of Paul Gascoigne, Ian Wright and Rene Higuita, whose neediness formed a symbiosis with the fans. Gazza & Co. needed love and approval to rain over them, and fans were only too happy to shower that love and approval onto such charismatic showmen. Cristiano Ronaldo is more of the same, the glamorous frontman to the Real Madrid ideal of sleek athleticism.

The likes of Ozil prefer to work their magic quietly, often unnoticed. It's probably not coincidental that Madrid president Florentino Perez was willing to let Ozil slip away to north London, and it seems symbolic that the German first truly captured the attention this season in Arsenal's 3-0 win at Villa Park - the first game the limelight-comfortable Sanchez has missed.

Some coaches manage the quieter players better than others. Wenger, at the gentler end of the managerial scale himself, has defended Ozil during his ups and downs in north London. A previous boss of the German, the card-carrying extrovert Jose Mourinho, remains a fan too, saying that every time Ozil is in possession "the ball smiles".

The quiet entertainer

Wenger nailed it when he said recently: "You always see a good Ozil when you watch the game again". There is no doubt that the playmaker has disappointed on occasion since he moved to the Premier League. Yet take the trouble to watch him closely, and you'll be rewarded by a magic show, which would explain why he is held in such esteem by the world's leading coaches.

You'll notice how often he delivers the pre-assist for big goals, as he did against Besiktas. You'll see that, in some of his most crucial interventions, he scarcely touches the ball, gently caressing it rather than kicking it. You'll notice that he rarely looks at the player he is going to pass to, nor offers any hints of his plans with his posture, strategies that are infuriating for opponents. His sleight of foot is truly bewitching.

You'll also come to understand what a selfless player Ozil is. He creates space for his team-mates and makes those around him look much better, paying the price when perceptions of him suffer in comparison. Yet, true to the instinct of the introvert, he wouldn't dream of drawing attention to his contribution.

It is a similar story off the field. His strangely memorable "Ja Gunners, ja!" quip after Arsenal won the FA Cup final was the first time many fans had heard their hero's voice. He dodged reporters at the World Cup finals and largely eschews the sort of endorsements and media appearances the likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have hungered for. Even his social media presence is thought to be powered more by his family and management than the man himself.

In the heat of the battle we enjoy the showboating superstars, the roaring ringleaders and clenched-fisted captains. But there is room for all types in the game and it pays to cherish the introvert. Ozil speaks few words but, as Ronaldo said of his former Madrid compadre, he is fluent in "the language of football".

Long may he and his ilk do their talking on the pitch. They may sometimes seem more mouse than man, but, whisper it quietly, we'd miss them if they went. For every football squad there are perks to having a wallflower.

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Ozil, Ronaldo and football's distrust of introverts

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It's just before half-time in the second leg of Arsenal's Champions League qualifier against Besiktas. With the aggregate score line at 0-0, tension is high at the Emirates. Suddenly, a tantalising flick from Mesut Ozil cracks open the visitors' stubborn defence, allowing Jack Wilshere to tee up Alexis Sanchez, who tucks home the winner.

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Kemar Roofe: A late developer with an appetite for self-improvement

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Kemar Roofe is leading the charge for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa, with four goals in six appearances so far. Nick Wright speaks to his former coaches to find out how he overcame a tough start to his career to become one of the stars of the Sky Bet Championship.

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Sports Psychologist Bradley Busch with The Open University

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Sports Psychologist Bradley Busch on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Sports Videos | Inner Drive Sport Psychology

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Bradley talks to The Open University about InnerDrive's work on confidence and managing nerves in sport. Bradley discusses the role of sport psychology in football on BBC Radio 5 Live Bradley talks about sports psychology on BT Sport before the FA Cup Final We worked with Carlton Cole before and during his glory years as top striker in the Premiership and as he broke into the England team.