Just when I was thinking that referee Chris Kavanagh was delivering a good performance in Tottenham’s win over Newcastle, along came the eye-watering challenge from Spurs’ Cristian Romero on Callum Wilson which resulted in just a yellow card.
The Argentine lunged into his opponent at pace and threatened the safety of the Newcastle United player. The law is crystal clear that when a player exceeds the necessary force and endangers the safety of an opponent he must be sent off.
There is an increasing number of players missing from the game due to injury and this apparent lenient view currently taken by his referees on these types of challenges must be outlawed
The whole idea of the video assistant referee is to take another look and the issuing of the yellow card fulfilled the criteria of a clear and obvious error.
Why didn’t the Var for this game – Peter Bankes – send Kavanagh to the pitchside monitor to take that valuable second look? Had he done that then I am sure a red card would have been shown
Chris Kavanagh deemed a yellow card to be punishment enough – Getty Images/Julian Finney
Bankes, who on Saturday officiated Manchester United vs Bournemouth, was at Stockley Park on Sunday with a bank screens in front of him to witness this foul challenge. Did fatigue play a part in this poor decision?
It is not the first time that Romero has transgressed. He has already been shown a red card this season, in the match with with Chelsea. Last season he accumulated 15 yellow cards, on two occasions there were double yellow cards resulting in his dismissal. He is a serial offender and to say he was a lucky boy to stay on the pitch is an understatement.
This latest mad moment should have resulted in a red card but none was given, just like earlier in the day when Luton’s Jacob Brown launched a two-footed challenge Manchester City’s Phil Foden
Whilst Howard Webb, the head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, is placing his point of emphasis on dissent, frankly he must sort out and ensure that these red-card challenges are dealt with correctly.
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