Have any footballers ever refused to come out for the second half?

[+snorbens_caleyman]

From "The Knowledge" column in today's Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/13/the-knowledge-have-any-footballers-refused-to-play-second-half

If you were going to buy it, you'd have done so by now, so I don't think this will deprive them of any money

"“Have there been any situations where a player has refused to come out for the second half?” asks Peter Clarke. “If so, what retribution was taken by the club or country?”

There are plenty of examples of entire teams refusing to play the second half, the majority in response to racism, but it’s quite rare for an individual player to do so. Let’s start with a famous night in Glasgow:

“Back in February 2000, with John Barnes’s Celtic trailing Caley Thistle 2-1 in a Scottish Cup tie, striker Mark Viduka refused to play the second half,” begins Stephen Toal. “Viduka took offence when he was asked by Barnes’s assistant Eric Black: ‘Is it too cold tonight? Do you not fancy it?’

“Celtic went on to lose 3-1, and within 48 hours Barnes and Black were sacked (Viduka kept his job). Perhaps more significantly, the match spawned the greatest newspaper headline of all time: Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious."

Click on the link above to read the rest of the column.