New Delhi: Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori expressed his discontent with the referee showing a red card to teammate Leandro Trossard in the side’s draw against Manchester City in Etihad Stadium. The controversial moment occurred right before halftime while the Gunners were leading the game 2-1.
Trossard was attempting to receive an aerial pass when he was caught fouling Bernardo Silva. The referee immediately blew the whistle while Trossard continued playing and kicked the ball. The Belgian forward was already booked prior to delaying the restart after conceding a freekick. The result was that Arsenal played their second half as a ten-man unit.
Calafiori has said that the 29-year-old hadn’t heard the whistle, so he failed to stop the game after the foul. By law, if a player kicks away the ball after the whistle is blown, that individual shall be issued a yellow card. In accordance with the law, Trossard was obviously guilty of violating the rule.
Riccardo Calafiori on Trossard red card:
“I think Leo didn’t even hear the whistle. Come on…” pic.twitter.com/lAInwhTu2e
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley) September 22, 2024
The Italian international felt that referee Michael Oliver was too harsh in ruling Trossard. Calafiori, in the aftermath of the game, further said that the rhythm of the game was broken. While Arsenal’s summer signing maintained that referees are supposed to maintain the decorum of the game, these kinds of incidents shouldn’t have too much interference from the referee as they are simple human errors.
Despite playing one man less in the second half, Arsenal gave a strong fight to the hosts, as the Gunners spent most of the time on the edge of their half, as all nine players were playing in the deep. Arsenal were close to winning the game until City’s John Stones scored a goal in stoppage time to draw the game 2-2. For Calafiori, the game was remarkable as his 22nd-minute goal cancelled Erling Haaland’s early score.
Having played 74 minutes of the game, Calafiori had to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior after seemingly suffering from cramps. Quite a number of Arsenal players have complained of cramps, and Calafiori complained that it was because the Gunners were playing with just ten men. However, Calafiori concluded that despite the mental and physical toll of playing a big team without a complete XI, his side had done well to settle for a draw.
Arsenal’s summer signing felt that the crucial ruling was harsh as his side drew against Manchester City. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
