In the 18th minute of this evening’s Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, defender Mamadou Sakho was shown a straight red card.
The former Liverpool star made a tough challenge on Bournemouth right-back Adam Smith just before the halfway line.
Sakho doesn’t appear to make much contact with the man with his tackle, however the centre-back’s decision to lunge in could be considered reckless by some.
Take a look at the Frenchman’s challenge that led to red card below, with one fan branding it a “joke”:
Mamadou Sakho sees RED! ?
Will Bournemouth capitalise? Watch now: https://t.co/BSPd2aSoTV#PLonPrime pic.twitter.com/2tg8gN60Xu
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 3, 2019
Here’s how some football supporters reacted to the decision:
Joke decision, may as well just make it a non-contact sport and be done with it
— ??? ??????? (@WorthingEagle87) December 3, 2019
That’s a joke. Wins the ball and catches tje guy in the shin… Is it even a foul?!
— Stuart Gardner (@stugardner) December 3, 2019
Not even a foul.
— Jake Crosbie (@JakeCrosbie) December 3, 2019
Shambolic decision. People managing football need to stop being soft and left football be what football is a contact sport where if you get ball first, that all that matters.
— Dane (@Dane_c88) December 3, 2019
The games gone soft very harsh red
— Steve Harper (@wba19761976) December 3, 2019
Game’s gone
— Simon (@supernova_1984) December 3, 2019
Never a red
— george (@GLPALACE) December 3, 2019
That is not a red
— Keith Lindsay-Ayres (@keefywonder) December 3, 2019
Never a red
— ??in€£ dOn A¥o?I_j?r (@kikihillario) December 3, 2019
How does he stop himself? He’s won the ball, the follow through catches the lad. No malice, just a hard tackle.
— Paul Knight (@colincrabstick) December 3, 2019
What did you make of the challenge?
