Sunday’s Premier League game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest sparked into life following a second-half foul from Morgan Gibbs-White.
The Englishman’s 82nd-minute challenge on Brighton substitute Joao Pedro led to himself and both head coaches, Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo, being shown red cards by referee Rob Jones.
The game at the Amex Stadium ended 2-2 with both sides holding the lead at some stage but the late incident was perhaps the biggest talking point from the contest due to the delay in Gibbs-White getting sent off and the reactions from the coaches.
Here, The Athletic explains what happened, why it was a second yellow card, and the fury around it.
What happened?
In the 82nd minute, Gibbs-White flew into a tackle on Joao Pedro who was collecting a throw from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen on the near touchline.
The ball went off the pitch and referee Jones appeared to signal for Brighton to take possession. Jones also made a ball gesture with his hands and appeared to say, ‘Got the ball’, as Brighton players approached him and Gibbs-White jogged away.
Joao Pedro then 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 been booked in the 60th minute for bringing down Georginio Rutter.
Why was it a second yellow card?
Though replays show Gibbs-White did get the ball when tackling Joao Pedro, that does not mean it was not a foul.
The Premier League, via its MatchCentre social media account, clarified that Gibbs-White’s challenge was deemed to be “reckless”. In accordance with the FA’s guidance on fouls and misconduct, “Reckless is when a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned”.
Could Anthony Taylor have intervened and is he allowed?
Sky Sports commentary on the UK broadcast of the game appeared to suggest that Jones had been assisted in deciding to send Gibbs-White off by fourth official Anthony Taylor.
And, following his red card, Gibbs-White was seen standing in close proximity to Taylor, appearing to shout and point at the official.
According to the FA’s guidance, a fourth official’s job during the game is to “assist the referee at all times”. That guidance further states that the fourth official should assist with the “match control”, though the primary responsibility for this remains with the referee. Referees are expected to, however, seek assistance from the fourth official on “match-changing incidents which have been missed by the other three match officials and which are clearly visible to the fourth official, which includes red and yellow card offences.
Famously, it was the fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo who advised referee Horacio Elizondo to send France’s Zinedine Zidane off for a headbutt on Italy’s Marco Matterazzi in the 2006 World Cup final after he and his assistants missed the incident.
How did the managers react during the game?
Nuno was seen shouting and pointing towards Jones as Gibbs-White walked off the pitch.
Jones first sent off Hurzeler and then Nuno, with Forest assistant coach Rui Pedro Silva also booked. Hurzeler’s reaction appeared to have been more muted but the Premier League later said both coaches had been sent off for their “unacceptable technical area behaviour following the incident”.
Nuno’s reaction was not the first time he or Forest have taken issue with Jones’ officiating. Last December, Jones showed Willy Boly a second yellow card during a game against Bournemouth which led to Forest writing to the Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (the body which oversees refereeing in English football) asking him to no longer oversee their matches.
What was said after the game?
“In the first moment, I thought it was a fair tackle,” Silva said. “A good tackle, a fair tackle. I did not see anything that justified a second yellow card.
“I think the referees took their time to make the decision. They took their time and they made the decision to show a second yellow card. I don’t think it is a bad thing if they take their time to make a decision, if they are going to make the right decision.
“It is not a bad moment, if referees have a chance to talk. Anthony Taylor will have a point of view, Rob Jones will have a point of view and the linesman will have a view. I don’t know if they did chat, I am not saying that. But if officials talk and come to the right decision, I do not have a problem with that.
“I did not hear anything from the mouth of Nuno that justified a red card. It is emotional and you are going to defend your player and your team.
“If you ask Morgan, he is going to say to you that he won the ball. The referee will say that he has a different point of view. There are moments when you will never get an agreement between us. But when the 90 minutes have finished, it is just a game.”
“We felt it was a foul (by Gibbs-White),” Brighton assistant Andrew Crofts said. “You could tell Joao was hurt, so you are worried about your player.
“Their player definitely doesn’t mean to hurt him, but it’s a foul. Their bench doesn’t think it is a foul, we do, and then the ref has to make the decisions in terms of what he does.”
Asked if he had seen any behaviour from Hurzeler worthy of a red, Crofts added: “Not really, I’d have to see it back. I was speaking to one of the players, so I didn’t see the next part. I’d comment when I see it back. Maybe it’s encroachment on the pitch, I don’t know.”
(Top photo: Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
