In the dictionary, the word" applause" means to clap your hands to praise or welcome. Clappingis not
usually used to protect against something. But when David Beckham made this mistake, he was punished with a red card.
    
     The England football captain was shown a yellow card by referee Arturo Dauden Ibanez during a
match between Real Madridand Valencia in Madrid, Spain on Oct. 23.    
     Beckham then half-turned his back on Ibanez and applauded. His protest made the referee very angry. In return he gave Beckhama red card. The Spanish Football Association withdrew the red card last week due to Real Madrid's protest. But Beckham still has to pay a 60 euro fine for his mistake.    
     Beckham, no doubt, is one of the best footballers in the world. He was among the 50 candidates for 
the European Footballer of 2005. He first made everyone take notice when he scored a wondergoal , 60
yards away from his own half on the first day of the 1995/6 England football season. He then led England
into the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup.    
     But he is more than a footballer. His handsome appearance isas powerful as his outstanding
performance on the field. Few pop stars can match him in terms of pure style. He has attracted millions of
teenagers to follow his way of dressing.      
     "I have come to accept that if I have a new haircut, it is front page news. But having a picture of my
foot on the front page of a national newspaper is a bit exceptional. " he once said.      
     He appears in advertisements as often as on the field. Beckhamis now the richest footballer in the world with an average annual income of 8 million pounds, mainly from advertisements for beauty treatments,
mobile phones and motor oil.      
     In November 2003, Beckham was honored with the best award ever received-an OBE ( Officer of the Order of the British Empire) from the British Queen.