Christian footie match ends in almighty brawl

Five footballers from the West Midlands Christian League are heading for some serious time in the sin bin after a match last weekend degenerated into a "brutal brawl".

Common Ground United and Zion Athletic met on Saturday in West Bromwich to engage in what was supposed to be "friendly competition whilst upholding Christian beliefs and ideals".

All was peace, love and understanding until an hour into the match, when an unholy rumpus brought proceedings to an abrupt halt.

Mike Fellows, the Birmingham County Football Association Discipline Manager, explained: “A Common Ground player was sent off for serious foul play in the 47th minute, but the game carried on without any problems.

"But then, in the 60th minute, the score was 5-1 to Zion and a penalty was awarded to them. An incident happened between one player and another where one received a few punches. Then trouble kicked off.

"The referee reported that Common Ground players started throwing punches at Zion Athletic players."

According to the Birmingham Mail, a quintet of Common Ground players are facing charges of violent conduct, with one additionally accused of serious violent conduct. If found guilty, the five could be banned for a year.

League bosses are reportedly "shocked" by the unprecedented scrap, and claim that "an influx of non-Christians into teams may be to blame". ®