Joleon Lescott was involved in a heated on-pitch scrap with a rival player during a flashpoint on night six of Baller League UK on Monday evening.
The former England international features for Deportrio, making his debut for the side last month after being announced as a Week Two wildcard pick for the side.
Deportrio is managed by fellow ex-internationals and Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, and Gary Lineker, and currently sits top of the league table.
But tensions flared during their sixth match of the Baller League season when the side faced off with Wembley Rangers AFC.
Lescott receiving the ball by the dugouts was caught in a full-throated challenge by England six-a-side player Domingos Pires.
Hit by Pires’ trailing arm, the 42-year-old caught hold of his opponent and pulled him at him back, with both players locked on one another as they nearly fell into the pitchside crowd.
Joleon Lescott (in white) was tackled by Domingos Pires (in red and blue) during a flashpoint in Monday’s Baller League
The former England international was unhappy with the force of the challenge and retaliated
Lescott was separated from Pires by Baller League officials as well as Wembley Rangers players including Ben Long.
Richards was also seen leading Pires away from his player.
But h an argument between the former Manchester City man and Pires continued despite attempts to cool tensions.
Pires told Lescott: ‘I ain’t scared of you bruv, I ain’t f****** scared of you.’
He later added that Lescott ‘started that’, with the former defender protesting his innocence as the referee attempted to resume play.
Both Pires and Lescott were given two-minute sanctions before they could rejoin match action.
But it was Lescott who ended the evening in happier circumstances at the Copper Box Arena, with his Deportrio side beating Wembley Rangers 4-1.
Lescott and Pires (not pictured) were forcibly separated before the game could continue
Both of the players were sent to the sinbin for two minutes as punishment for the fracas
Lescott retired from professional football in 2017 at the age of 34, and has since been working primarily as a broadcaster and pundit.
But recent years have seen Lescott burnish his coaching CV, with the ex-Everton star now working alongside former team-mate Lee Carsley as an assistant coach for England’s Under-21 side.
