Former England defender Joleon Lescott had to be pulled away from an opponent after reacting badly to a late challenge while playing in the Baller League. Lescott is the biggest name taking part in the influencer six-a-side tournament and didn’t take kindly to a tackle on Monday night.

The 42-year-old, who previously played for and , now turns out for Deportrio – the side managed by Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and . He plays alongside other former stars including Marvin Sordell and Bakary Sako in the tournament at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Deportrio took on Wembley Rangers – the team led by Ian Wright and Chloe Kelly – on Monday night. And things got heated when Wembley’s Domingos Pires was slightly late in trying to close down Lescott.

Although Pires didn’t seem to catch the former pro, Lescott took exception to the challenge and grabbed his opponent’s arm. The two players then grappled with each other, nearly ending up over the advertising hoardings and into the crowd.

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Baller League staff, other players and the officials had to separate the two as tempers threatened to boil over. In the end it was settled by both Lescott and Pires being sent off for two minutes.

Lescott ultimately had the last laugh, though, with Deportrio picking up a 4-1 win to go top of the Baller League, with Sordell scoring the pick of the goals. Wembley Rangers, meanwhile, sit 11th in the 12-team league, having won just one of their six matches so far.

Deportrio boss Richards was inside the Copper Box on Monday night and certainly made his presence felt. After Yanited lost 4-2 to Trebol FC, Richards ran onto the pitch to perform Yanited YouTuber star PK Humble’s dance on the pitch with Trebol’s players joining in.

“PK got humbled tonight,” Richards later told . “We arrived tonight. Top of the league.”

This is the first UK edition of the Baller League, which was first launched in Germany after being created by entrepreneur Felix Starck and aided by Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski.

It started on March 24 and will take place weekly until the final on June 11. There are 12 teams, made up of ex-pros, futsal players and influencers, and there are custom rules designed to try and make it more interesting.

The six-a-side matches are 30 minutes long, use rolling substitutions and don’t have corners. For example, the final three minutes of each half are 'gamechangers' which include a 3 vs 3 format, long-range goals scored from behind the offside line counting as double and goalkeepers being unable to use their hands.

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