Swansea kick Charlie Morgan and other ball boy gaffes

All eyes were on last night's Capital One Cup semi-final after Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard kicked a ball boy who appeared to be time-wasting late in the match.

Swansea teenager Charlie Morgan was kicked by the Belgian player when he refused to give back the ball.

Hazard was sent off and Chelsea lost 2-0 on aggregate, sending Swansea through to the cup final against Bradford at Wembley.

The teenager, who prior to the game tweeted "The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting”, now has more than 86,000 followers.

Singer Lily Allen, former England footballer Michael Owen and former Scotland international Pat Nevin are among those who have voiced their opinion about the incident.

Last night’s spectacle is the latest in a long line of ball boy blunders in the sporting world:

‘Too quick’

In 2011 a young ball boy caught the attention of the media when, during the French open, he mistakenly believed the point had finished and dashed on to the court to retrieve the ball.

The gaffe, made during the Murray-Troicki match on the Suzanne Lenglen court, was watched more than 200,000 times on YouTube in the first 24 hours after being uploaded.

The ball boy is seen retreating timidly to his position, while Victor Troicki looks on astounded as the umpire orders the point to be replayed.

View the video here.

A similar mistake was made during a Tottenham v Bolton Premier League game in 2010. Then, a ball boy mistakenly believed the ball was going out of play and rushed out on the pitch to collect it.

‘Bumps and bruises’

In 1995 Tim Henman, alongside Jeremy Bates, became the first players to be disqualified from a tournament in the Open era when Henman accidentally hit a ball girl on the ear at Wimbledon.

Henman reacted to netting a volley by smacking the ball in anger, and the umpire decided to end the game with their opponents Henrik Holm and Jeff Tarango moving through to the second round.

To view the video click here.

And earlier this month Djokovic hit a ballboy in the side of the head with a return of a serve from Stanislas Wawrinka in a fourth round Australian Open match.

But it’s not just ball boys who can find themselves bruised – Konstantinos Louboutis was smacked in the testicles when an over-enthusiastic ball boy threw the ball to him.

The Tottenham youngster became an internet star after his gaffe during the 6-1 victory over Anorthosis Famagusta in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup.

View the video here.

‘Boy’s got skills’

In January last year 14-year-old Dylan Colaci momentarily overshadowed Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer at the Australian Open when he caught a stray ball with an outstretched hand.

The ball boy’s seamless clinch was met with a round of applause from the crowd, and the commentator compared him to Australia's famous slip fielder Ricky Ponting.

The video has been viewed online more than a million times.

‘Crossed wires’

In April 2012 a young ball boy caught the eye of the media when he tried to hand back the number 14 shirt given to him by AC Milan’s Sulley Muntari.

The clip of the baffled youngster, who failed to recognise the magnitude of being handed the shirt, has been watched more than 1.5 million times on YouTube.

‘Bad news’

Other ball boy incidents have made the headlines for the wrong reasons. In October last year Oldham Athletic winger Lee Croft was accused of racially abusing a ball boy at Sheffield United.

Police investigated the incident late in the game at Bramall Lane where Croft went to retrieve the ball for a throw-in as his side pressed for their late equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

He became angry when the ball was kicked back on to the field beyond him by the ball boy.

Croft faced no further action from the police as it soon emerged "there was no accusation whatsoever from the ball boy of racist abuse".