But then most players don't respond to the threat of a red card by driving their car at the official on the field. Amateur footballer Joseph Rimmer thought he was about to be punished by referee David Harkness for abusing him during a game in February in northwest England, so he told him: "If you book me or send me off, you know what will happen."

Highly unlikely, since Rimmer then stormed off, fetched his Range Rover and drove it across the grass at Harkness. A fitness instructor and nightclub doorman, Rimmer was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting to affray.

"Before he could be shown the red card, the defendant stated, 'I'm going to run you down,' then walked off the pitch," prosecutor Derek Jones said. When Harkness reacted to the threat by trying to send off Rimmer, the player walked off to fetch his automobile.