Footballer sent off for tackling 'Borat' pitch invader

A minor league player has been sent off for wrestling a pitch invader dressed as UK comic Sacha Baron Cohen's faux-documentary character "Borat" to the ground.

Dorchester Town player-manager Ashley Vickers was shown a red card for intervening on Monday after the unwanted second-half invasion by a man, sporting only a bright green mankini and white socks, during the Blue Square South clash with Havant & Waterlooville.

"I'm dumbfounded and speechless. A guy ran on to the pitch without any of the stewards getting near him and I thought I was doing them a favour," Vickers told the Dorset Echo.

"My only thought was to get hold of him so we could get on with the game. I managed to grab him and bring him to the ground and the funny thing was the stewards actually thanked me for it.

"But the referee decided to send me off and it beggars belief. Their players told the ref not to send me off and their chairman even offered to take a player off to even things up."

Dorchester also had two other players sent off in a 3-1 defeat watched by 458 spectators.