First time in football history: Two players sent off for pulling the same opponent with ridiculous 5ft-long dreadlocks

Aedan Scipio had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when his extraordinary dreadlocks became the centre of a bizarre international match. The 36-year-old Anguilla forward came off the bench against Antigua and Barbuda with his side already 5–0 down, but two opponents were later sent off for pulling his hair. Both incidents involved Scipio’s ankle-length dreadlocks, turning an otherwise one-sided Concacaf Nations League match into an unusual piece of football history.Aedan Scipio’s hair became the target twiceScipio entered the match in the 69th minute at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, with Anguilla already facing a heavy deficit against Antigua and Barbuda.The 36-year-old, who plays for the Roaring Lions, is known for dreadlocks that stretch almost 1.5 metres and come close to his ankles when left loose. When tied back, the hair is often wrapped around his waist with a band, although even then it remains close enough to the ground to be grabbed by an opponent.That became particularly relevant in the second half.According to ESPN, Scipio had regained possession in his own area after being dispossessed when Antigua and Barbuda midfielder Keon Greene grabbed his hair and pulled him backwards. Scipio reacted angrily to the challenge, and the referee immediately showed Greene a straight red card in the 71st minute.The incident might have been strange enough on its own, but it was repeated later in the match.Deep into stoppage time, Scipio was advancing up the pitch when Antigua and Barbuda's Shalon Knight grabbed another section of his dreadlocks. The pull sent Scipio crashing to the ground, and Knight was shown a straight red card.Antigua and Barbuda finished with nine players, but the match had already produced a bizarre piece of football history: for the first time, two players had been sent off in the same game for pulling the hair of the same opponent. Both incidents involved Scipio and his extraordinary dreadlocks.Scipio became an unlikely viral sensationThe unusual sequence quickly spread online, with footage of both incidents attracting attention well beyond the Concacaf Nations League.Social-media users began referring to Anguilla as having found a "cheat code", because Scipio had entered the game with his team already five goals behind and subsequently contributed to two opposing players being dismissed.The joke, however, came from a very real physical problem created by the length of Scipio's hair.His dreadlocks are long enough to remain within an opponent's reach during a challenge, particularly when they are tied behind him. That does not make grabbing them permissible, but it helps explain why something rarely seen in professional football happened twice during the same matchScipio's appearance has also made him one of the more recognisable players in Anguilla's squad. The island nation remains among the lowest-ranked teams in international football, with ESPN reporting that Anguilla entered the match ranked 210th in the world, with only San Marino below them in FIFA's rankings.Antigua and Barbuda were ranked 163rd and entered the match as the higher-ranked side.Why hair-pulling can lead to a straight red cardThe referee's decisions were not based on Scipio having unusually long hair, but on the nature of the challenges themselves.Under football's Laws of the Game, pulling an opponent's hair can constitute violent conduct when the action involves excessive force or brutality and is not an attempt to play the ball. A sufficiently serious hair pull can therefore result in a straight red card.The issue has become more prominent in English football in recent seasons.Three Premier League players were sent off for hair-pulling incidents during the previous season, involving Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, Everton defender Michael Keane, Sunderland's Dan Ballard and Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez in separate incidents.Keane's dismissal was subsequently appealed, with the argument made that there had not been sufficient intent or force to justify a red card. The appeal against the dismissal was unsuccessful, as was a separate attempt to have his three-match suspension reduced.The Football Association panel considering the case included three former players and voted 2–1 that the red card had not been incorrect and that a three-match suspension was not excessive.Not every contact with an opponent's hair automatically produces the same punishment. The Premier League has introduced clearer guidance under which a hair pull that is not considered excessive can result in a yellow card, while more serious conduct can be treated as violent conduct and punished with a dismissal.In Scipio's case, both Antigua and Barbuda players were sent off after physically pulling him backwards, with Knight's challenge in particular taking the Anguilla player off his feet.Antigua and Barbuda still finished with a 5–0 victoryThe two red cards did not change the outcome of the match.Antigua and Barbuda had already built a five-goal advantage before Scipio entered the game, and even after being reduced to nine players they held on to win 5–0 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.The victory came in League C, Group B of the Concacaf Nations League, giving Jacques Passy's side a comfortable result despite the extraordinary finish.For Anguilla, the scoreline remained the dominant fact of the night, but Scipio's brief cameo ensured that the match would be remembered for something else as well.Antigua and Barbuda will now face the consequences of losing Greene and Knight to suspension, with both players set to miss the next meeting with Anguilla on Friday.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. 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