The Premier League has seen a surprising and uncomfortable trend emerge this season: red cards for hair-pulling are becoming a regular occurrence. The latest incident came on Saturday when Sunderland defender Dan Ballard was sent off for grabbing the hair of Wolverhampton striker Tolu Arokodare during a first-half scramble at Molineux.
This marks the second time Arokodare has been the victim of such an offense. Back in January, Everton's Michael Keane was shown a straight red card for pulling Arokodare's hair in a match that ended 1-1. The pattern doesn't stop there. Last month, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez received a red card for a similar act against Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Old Trafford. United manager Michael Carrick called the decision "shocking," but the red card stood after a VAR check.
Under Premier League rules, pulling an opponent's hair is classified as violent conduct, resulting in an automatic three-match ban. This strict enforcement has made players think twice, but the incidents keep piling up.
Hair-pulling controversies have also spread beyond the top flight. In the Championship, Ipswich left back Leif Davis received a retrospective ban in March for pulling Leicester's Caleb Okoli by the hair. At the Club World Cup last summer, Paris Saint-Germain's João Neves was sent off for yanking Chelsea's Marc Cucurella by the hair in the final.
The trend has even reached the women's game. During last year's Women's European Championship, VAR caught Germany's Kathrin Hendrich pulling the ponytail of France captain Griedge Mbock at a free kick, leading to a red card. And just last month, Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor pulled out her phone during a post-match interview to show footage of a hair-pulling incident missed by officials in the Women's Champions League. In the semifinals, Bayern Munich's Franziska Kett was also sent off for the same offense.
As the season progresses, players and fans alike are left wondering: will the hair-pulling trend finally be stopped, or will more red cards follow?