Watch: Football Match Turns Into Kickboxing Slugfest. Referee Stunned

Emotions of run high in football. Although called the 'Beautiful game', football often has seen ugly scenes. From Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt to 'Battle of Santiago' at the 1962 World Cup, football has been witness to tussles on the field. A recent video which is going viral on social media is an similar example of it. It has been shared a numerous time, though it is not clear when and where the video was taken. It looks like a professional match and things take a down when a player roughly tackles his rival. Then rest of the players engage in ugly fight as the referee is stunned.

Yellow card for simulation pic.twitter.com/qsfYnQ0TiO

The Asian Cup begins on Friday with defending champions Qatar the hosts, Japan favourites and Son Heung-min's South Korea vowing to win the title for the first time in 64 years. The 24 teams spanning Australia to Palestine will battle for regional glory over the next four weeks, culminating in the final at the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium on February 10.

It will take something special to beat the last big game at Lusail -- the World Cup final 13 months ago when an Argentina side inspired by Lionel Messi defeated France on penalties.

The 18th edition of the Asian Cup was supposed to have been held last summer in China but was moved to World Cup host Qatar because of China's Covid-19 rules. Qatar will mostly use stadiums that staged World Cup matches, a notable absentee being Stadium 974, the temporary arena made partly of shipping containers. 
In the lead-up to the World Cup, the Gulf state came under intense scrutiny over its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers. Rights groups say little has changed since, something Qatar disputes. There has been no such outcry