EFL star sparks furious brawl and chased by opponents after ‘one of the worst tackles you'll ever see in a friendly'

The Irish Sun

13-07-2025

NOTTS COUNTY'S Barry Cotter was shown a straight red card for one of "the worst challenges you'll ever see in a friendly".
The tackle was so bad it sparked a furious brawl and chaotic scenes as tempers boiled over in
Germany
.
3
The game had to be stopped after the reckless challenge
Credit: https://x.com/RyanDilks1
3
Barry Cotter had to be ushered away by his own team-mates after the challenge
Credit: https://x.com/RyanDilks1
3
Players from both sides quickly got involved in the melee
Credit: https://x.com/RyanDilks1
The
EFL
defender completely lost his head midway through the first half of the
pre-season
clash against
Bundesliga
2 outfit FC Kaiserslautern.
With his side already trailing 3-0 inside ten calamitous minutes, Cotter threw in a brutal kick to the ankle of a Kaiserslautern winger from behind, after being beaten by a brilliant change of pace.
The reckless challenge sent the home side into uproar, prompting several players to chase Cotter down the pitch.
Players from both sides clashed in the aftermath, with Kaiserslautern stars having to be restrained as Cotter was ushered away by team-mates before the referee pulled out a straight red card.
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The incident appeared to stem from frustration after Matt Palmer was bundled over moments earlier, only for the referee to wave play on.
Seconds later, Cotter lost control and the result was a shocking tackle that would've looked bad in a league game, let alone a friendly.
Fans took to social media to express their concern once the footage was shared online.
One wrote: 'This tackle by Notts County's Barry Cotter is one of the worst you'll ever see in a friendly match.'
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However, another saw the funny side, saying: 'Why is that even a red? It's a yellow at most for a tactical foul.'
While a third commented: 'Done it on purpose because he got mugged off.'
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It capped off a miserable night for the EFL side, who were blown away by the German hosts inside the opening ten minutes.
Three rapid-fire goals left the visitors shell-shocked, with Kaiserslautern slicing through their defence with ease.
Down to ten men for over an hour, Paterson's men dug in and limited the damage but a second-half set-piece goal sealed a bruising 4-0 defeat.