First captain to be sent off in a World-Cup Final

Zinedine Zidane, ex-captain of France, became on 09/07/06 the first team captain ever to be sent off in a World-Cup Final. He was the fourth player ever to be sent off in a World-Cup Final. The others were Pedro Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti of Argentina in the 1990 World-Cup Final against Germany (thus making that final the only one in which two players have been dismissed), and Marcel Desailly of France in the 1998 final against Brazil. Argentina lost in 1990, but France won in 1998.

Zidane did, however, score before being sent off on 09/07/06. Since he also scored twice in the 1998 final, he became the fourth man to score in two World-Cup finals after Brazilians Vava (who scored twice in 1958 while winning against Sweden, and once while winning against the Czechs in 1962) and Pele (who also scored twice in 1958 against Sweden, and once while winning against Italy in 1970), and Germany's Paul Breitner (who scored once in 1982 while losing against Italy, and once in 1974 while winning against the Netherlands). Geoff Hurst scored three goals in the 1966 World-Cup Final for England against West Germany, and he remains the only person to have got a hat-trick in a World-Cup Final.

One Thousand Miles in One Thousand Hours

According to this site:

On June 1, 1809 Captain Robert Barclay Allardice undertook what was then the greatest sporting feat ever attempted - to walk one thousand miles in one thousand hours for one thousand guineas. Six weeks later, exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, he completed his challenge and instantly became the most famous sporting figure of Regency times.

The feat was later repeated by Bob Carlisle in Newton-le-Willows.

One-legged cricketers beat one-armed cricketers

According to the BBC:

On the 9th and 10th of August 1796, a cricket match took place between a team of one-legged pensioners and a team of their one-armed counterparts. They played at the Montpelier Tea Gardens in Walworth (now part of south London)

The two teams were drawn from among war veterans at the Greenwich Hospital, and the match between them was arranged by two "noble lords" who had a bet of 1000 guineas on the outcome.

The one-legged Greenwich Pensioners (93 and 104) defeated their One Armed counterparts (41 and 53) by 103 runs.

Footballing nations

How many FIFA-member nations are not sovereign states? England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, obviously. But which others? The Faroe Islands? Any more?

Red Cards

The BBC tells us in its report on the match on Friday 30th June 2006 between Germany and Argentina that:

The dismissal of unused Argentine substitute Leandro Cufre in the scuffle that directly followed the penalty shoot-out, made him a record 10th Argentine to be sent off in a World Cup match. Just like predecessor Claudio Caniggia, Cufre was red carded whilst not even formally on the pitch.

Does anyone know what the rules say about when red cards may be given: it seems that they may be given after the game has finished, but when is the cut-off point? And who may be given them if unused substitutes may be given them too? All and only members of the squad?

On a separate front: I have heard that my former headmaster, John Gwilliam, was the first (and last?) rugby captain to send off one of his own players. Can anybody confirm this?

According to this site one is not allowed in football to send off one of one's own players. But this site says, by contrast, that:

If the captain of a team decides to send off one of his own players (because that player refused to obey his captain's instruction) the Referee has no power to interfere with the captain's decision.

Another recent football record was the record number of red cards handed out in Holland v. Portugal on Sunday 25th June. The total number of bookings equalled the record for the World Cup.