Bruno Fernandes, captain of Manchester United, expressed his exasperation over being sent off in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win. He received the first red card in his Red Devils career subsequent to fouling James Maddison. The incident took place on the brink of half-time as Manchester United was about to stage a forward break. Referee Chris Kavanagh promptly issued a straight red card after Fernandes brought down the England international.
Despite his objections, Fernandes was commanded to exit the game prematurely. This decision was backed by the Video Assistant Referee who concurred that the onfield decision was valid. The 30-year-old’s actions were subsequently assessed as constituting serious foul play.
Fernandes was sharply critical of the decision and pointed out that Maddison himself had expressed the view that the red card was not warranted. The United’s captain had a clear stance on the decision quoting, “Part of slipping, I don’t take him as everyone wants to see it, I didn’t hit him with my studs, it was my ankle.” He further elaborated on how he saw it, “It’s a clear fall but never a red card, Maddison when he gets up… he said it a foul but it’s never a red card.”
Venting his frustration, Fernandes noted that everyone could see the decision was erroneous. He continued his complaint, “In the eyes of everyone, you can see it’s never a red card. If it is, we have to look at many other incidents, even when I get kicked and everything and I’ve never seen something so quick as a red card. I think it’s never a red card.”
Fernandes stated his belief that the incident merited, at most, a yellow card rather than a red one. He ended his barrage of criticism with a questioning remark about VAR’s decision making process, doubting as to why VAR did not instruct the referee to verify the decision on the screen. He concluded, “For me, it’s a fall. If he wants to give me a yellow for a counter attack then I agree but I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen. For me, it’s just not a good decision.”
