Ex-Premier League star PUNCHED as players trade blows and match descends into violence

A mass brawl broke out in the not-so-friendly pre-season clash between Como and Real Betis on Wednesday. A number of former Premier League stars were involved as both sets of players engaged in the ugly scenes.

The incident took place just before half-time and resulted in a red card for each side, who are managed by Cesc Fabregas and Manuel Pellegrini respectively. Italian club Como had Maximo Perrone dismissed while ex-Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin was sent off for Spanish side Betis.

Perrone, who left Manchester City this summer, appeared to slap Betis' Pablo Fornals in the face. The former West Ham midfielder responded with a slap of his own before Perrone delivered a PUNCH, sparking a brawl.

Multiple skirmishes could be seen, as the two sets of coaching staff raced onto the pitch in a bid to split the players up. In one bizarre moment, Betis striker Cucho Hernandez came rushing in and ended up smacking his own team-mate, Natan, by accident.

Once tempers began to simmer down after roughly 30 seconds of scrapping, the referee showed Perrone a straight red card. Bellerin, 30, tried speaking to the referee in an effort to quell the chaos.

READ MORE: Alan Shearer's Premier League predictions for all 20 places this season including champions

READ MORE: Son Heung-min's emotional farewell to Spurs after completing record £19.5m transfer exit

After becoming increasingly animated, the Spaniard was then sent off himself. Bellerin's red card was, however, reversed in a rarely seen move from the referee.

Tempers flared yet again as the teams walked towards the tunnel at the picturesque Estadio Municipal de La Linea de la Concepcion in Cadiz, Spain. The score was 2-0 to visitors Como at half-time but Betis were back on level terms just 17 minutes into the second period.

Como got the last laugh when Ivan Azon converted a penalty to win the feisty affair in the 92nd minute. That might not be the end of it, though, as both teams could face retrospective punishment.

Absent from the Como squad was ex-Tottenham star Dele Alli, who's reportedly considering retirement after Fabregas made it clear that he's no longer part of his plans. "Wow, what a shame that is, isn't it?" Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand said of his situation.

"That's another conundrum that you're looking at. I saw an interview that they had on the documentary with Jose Mourinho - that hit home. Jose Mourinho, he was like Mystic Meg, the way that it panned out.

"I think there's a lot more going on behind the scenes with Dele. I think it will be a nod to looking at players and going, actually, these guys aren't superhuman.

"They are real human beings that do have issues as well, do have problems. If they're not addressed and they're not helped along the way at times, or they're not open for help, it can lead to situations like we've seen with Dele."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.