Fuller has joined the ranks of ballers who shamed themselves

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Stoke's Ricardo Fuller joins football's fight club after slapping captain

Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller has joined the ranks of footballers to have shamed themselves on the pitch after fighting with team-mate Andy Griffin during his side's 2-1 defeat against West Ham.



By Emily Benammar
Last Updated: 12:31PM GMT 29 Dec 2008

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Shown the door: Ricardo Fuller's team mates try to calm him down after he was issued a red card following the incident with Andy Griffin Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Hot headed: Ricardo Fuller squares up to his captain Andy Griffin Photo: BBC

Clash: Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer have to be dragged apart Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Fistifcuffs: David ******************** and Graeme Le Saux throw punches at each other Photo: PA

Head to head: Emmanuel Adebayor was accused of head-butting Nicklas Bendtner


Stoke were reduced to 10 men as Fuller was shown a straight red card for slapping his captain in the face.
The 6ft 3in Jamaican forward's moment of madness came after 53 minutes, just after Carlton Cole had equalised for West Ham.
He started shouting at Griffin, as he was waiting to restart the game, and then squared up to him in the centre circle.
Fuller then aimed a left-handed slap at Griffin before being pushed away by team-mate Glenn Whelan.
He now faces a £20,000 fine - a maximum two week's wages - and will meet with manager Tony Puils for talks about his actions.
Pulis said: "Ric raised his hands and you can’t condone that. I certainly won't be condoning it.
"The lads said that Ric and Griff had an altercation and Ric’s pushed him in the face."
It is not the first time team-mates have swung at each other in the heat of battle.
When at Newcastle, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer famously clashed in front of a packed house at Villa Park, while Blackburn colleagues David ******************** and Graeme Le Saux through punches at each other on the European stage.
The most recent altercation, before the Fuller slap, also occured this year between Arsenal team-mates Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner.

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Stoke manager to deal with Fuller

Stoke manager to deal with Fuller


Ricardo Fuller now faces a three-match ban

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has said he will deal with Ricardo Fuller after the striker was sent off for striking Andy Griffin in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
Fuller appeared to slap the City captain after the Hammers had equalised at Upton Park on Sunday.
Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: "Ric was disappointed we had conceded the goal but his reaction was poor and that will be dealt with in-house.
"We won't deal with it in the media but as a football club."
Abdoulaye Faye had given Stoke a fourth minute lead before Carlton Cole equalised shortly after half-time.

Pulis vows to deal with 'clip round the ear'

Following Fuller's dismissal, 10-man Stoke valiantly tried to hang on to a point but were denied by Diego Tristan's 88th minute winner.
"We've shot ourselves in the foot again," said Pulis.
"The incident with Ricardo was the turning point and that has got nothing to do with West Ham."
Pulis also added that this is not the first time that Fuller's temperament has got the better of him.
"He has got a short fuse but it's happened so many times and in the end he has let the team down."



Pulis also confirmed that Fuller was not in the dressing room at full-time.
"He was not in the dressing room at the end of the game, he was already on the bus," said Pulis.
However it was not just the Jamaica international who came in for criticism from the Stoke boss.
"I'm desperately disappointed with some of the decisions by the referee [Michael Jones]," said Pulis.
"Luis Boa Morte shouldn't have been on the pitch for the two challenges he made in the first 20 minutes and we're getting players booked for similar tackles.
"All we ask for is parity but for the second game in four days the referee has seen everything we've done but nothing the opposition has done and that's not fair," he added.
The defeat at Upton Park extended City's winless run to six games and leaves them 18th in the Premier League.