Footballer Lee Mansell was booked during a match last Friday (December 19) after he kissed an opposing player during an altercaion on the pitch. The Bristol Rovers midfielder received a yellow card after he planted a kiss on the lips of Gateshead's JJ O'Donnell during a heated exchange during the the club's 3-2 win last week, reports the BBC

Photo: BT Sport

Twitter had lit up

Forget the mistletoe lads? @Official_BRFC's Lee Mansell goes in for a cheeky kiss with @GatesheadFC's JJ O'Donnell! https://t.co/J3zRnv5neJ — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) December 19, 2014

Speaking about the incident on Monday (December 22), the 32-year-old he made the gesture to avoid "doing something silly" after the pair clashed. "We either clash heads and he goes down or I end up doing something silly", he said. "I did it to defuse the situation. It's the first time I've been booked for kissing someone." He continued: "I got in the car to go home and sawand my missus said, 'What the hell were you thinking?' "But we had a laugh and a joke about it with the lads afterwards. It's another thing to add to the list of daft things I've done on the football pitch." Watch the moment the pair locked lips below: