Sunday’s Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest was reignited by a foul by Morgan Gibbs-White in the second half.
The Englishman’s foul on Brighton substitute Joao Pedro in the 82nd minute led to referee Rob Jones showing him and both head coaches, Fabian Hurzeler of Brighton and Nuno Espirito Santo of Forest, the red card.
The match at the Amex Stadium finished 2-2, but the incident at the end was probably the biggest talking point of the game due to the delay in sending off Gibbs-White and the reactions of the coaches.
Here, The athlete explains what happened, why there was a second yellow card and the excitement surrounding it.
What happened?
In the 82nd minute, Gibbs-White went into a tackle on Joao Pedro, who received a throw-in from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen on the near touchline.
The ball went off the field and referee Jones appeared to signal for Brighton to take possession. Jones also made a ball gesture with his hands and appeared to say “have the ball” as Brighton players ran towards him and Gibbs-White jogged away.
Joao Pedro subsequently received treatment on the pitch and 30 seconds after the incident, Jones showed Gibbs-White a second yellow card and then a red. The midfielder had previously received a yellow card in the 60th minute for bringing down Georginio Rutter.
Why was it the second yellow card?
Although replays show that Gibbs-White received the ball during the tackle on Joao Pedro, that does not mean it was not a foul.
The Premier League clarified via its MatchCentre social media account that Gibbs-White’s foul was deemed “reckless”. According to the FA’s guidelines on fouls and misconduct, “Reckless action is when a player acts without regard to the danger or consequence to an opponent and should be cautioned.”
Nuno was also sent off (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Could Anthony Taylor have intervened and would he have been allowed to do so?
Sky Sports’ commentary on the British match broadcast suggested that Jones was supported in his decision to send Gibbs-White off the pitch by fourth official Anthony Taylor.
And after receiving the red card, Gibbs-White was seen standing very close to Taylor, apparently shouting and pointing at the referee.
According to the FA’s guidelines, the role of a fourth official during the match is to “assist the referee at all times”. The guidelines also state that the fourth official should assist in “controlling the game”, although the primary responsibility for this remains with the referee. However, referees are expected to ask the fourth official for assistance in “game-changing incidents which have escaped the attention of the other three match officials and which are clearly visible to the fourth official, including red and yellow card offences”.
It was fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo who advised referee Horacio Elizondo to send off Frenchman Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final for headbutting Italian Marco Matterazzi after he and his assistants overlooked the incident.
How did the coaches react during the game?
Nuno was seen screaming and pointing at Jones as Gibbs-White left the field.
Jones sent off Hurzeler and then Nuno, while Forest’s assistant coach Rui Pedro Silva also received a yellow card. Hurzeler’s reaction seemed rather subdued, but the Premier League later announced that both coaches were sent off for their “unacceptable conduct in the technical penalty area following the incident”.
Nuno’s reaction was not the first time he or Forest had disagreed with Jones’ refereeing. Last December, Jones showed Willy Boly a second yellow card during a match against Bournemouth, after which Forest wrote to the Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (the organisation that oversees referees in English football) requesting that he be removed from their matches.
What was said after the game?
“At first I thought it was a fair tackle,” said Silva. “A good tackle, a fair tackle. I didn’t see anything that would have justified a second yellow card.”
“I think the referees took their time to make their decision. They took their time and decided to show a second yellow card. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to take their time to make a decision if they want to make the right decision.
“It’s not a bad moment when referees have the opportunity to speak. Anthony Taylor will have his opinion, Rob Jones will have his opinion and the linesman will have his opinion. I don’t know if they were chatting, I’m not saying that. But if the officials speak and make the right decision, I have no problem with that.
“I haven’t heard anything from Nuno that justifies a red card. It’s emotional and you will defend your player and your team.”
“If you ask Morgan, he will tell you he won the ball. The referee will say he has a different point of view. There are moments when we can never agree. But when the 90 minutes are over, it’s just a game.”
Silva (left) and Brighton’s assistant Jonas Scheuermann (right) took charge of the final minutes of the game (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
“We thought it was a foul (by Gibbs-White),” said Brighton assistant Andrew Crofts. “You could see that Joao was injured, so you were worried about your player.”
“Your player definitely doesn’t mean to hurt him, but it’s a foul. Your bench doesn’t think it’s a foul, we do, and then the referee has to decide what to do.”
Asked if he noticed any behaviour from Hurzeler that would have deserved a red card, Crofts replied: “Not really, I would have to watch it again. I was talking to one of the players, that’s why I didn’t see the next part. I will comment on it when I see it again. Maybe it’s an intrusion on the field of play, I don’t know.”
(Top photo: Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
