Al Jazeera revisited footballers' clashes with clubs and national teams, from Fernando Redondo's refusal to cut his hair to Carlos Tevez's dispute with Manchester City.
The roundup opens with recent stories involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. Al Jazeera says Ronaldo left Portugal's camp, citing promises he said coach Jorge Jesus had broken. Salah, the outlet says, had earlier left Egypt's camp amid apparent disagreements with Hossam Hassan.
Before the 1998 World Cup, Fernando Redondo refused to cut his hair, saying it was part of his identity. Coach Daniel Passarella left the midfielder out of Argentina's squad. Hatem Ben Arfa went on strike at Marseille in 2010 to push for a move to Newcastle. During his 2014-15 loan at Hull City, the Frenchman made nine appearances. Steve Bruce substituted him after 35 minutes against Manchester United, with Hull trailing 3-0. Ben Arfa returned to France after the match and never played for Hull again. He later revived his career in France with Nice before joining Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea said William Gallas refused to play in the season opener against Manchester City when injuries had left the club with only four available defenders and John Terry's fitness was uncertain. The London club said Gallas threatened to score an own goal, deliberately get sent off or make mistakes if he was forced to play or punished for refusing.
Tevez's dispute with Manchester City in the 2011-12 season came down to different accounts of a pre-match incident. Former goalkeeper Joe Hart recalled that after warming up for 20 to 25 minutes, Tevez was asked to warm up again. Hart said the Argentine replied that he was ready. Tevez later told a reporter he had not felt fit to play, while his representative claimed his words had been mistranslated. Tevez spent most of the next five months in Argentina, practicing golf.
Yaya Toure did not boycott matches over the birthday-cake dispute, but Al Jazeera called the 2014 row over his 31st birthday one of football's most absurd conflicts. He had scored 20 goals and made nine assists the previous season, helping Manchester City win the league. His agent, Dimitri Seluk, complained that the club had not celebrated the player's birthday as he expected. Toure backed his agent. Egyptian forward Amr Zaki, who scored 10 goals for Wigan after the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, later delayed his return from Egypt during an international break to attend a party. He missed the agreed deadline despite a warning from teammate Ahmed Hossam Mido.