Brian Brobbey should have been sent off, Key Match Incidents panel rules after Sunderland v Tottenham | OneFootball

Brian Brobbey should have been sent off during Sunderland’s win over Tottenham, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel has ruled.

According to Sunderland Echo, the flashpoint came midway through the second half on 12 April, soon after Nordi Mukiele had put Sunderland ahead. As Tottenham tried to deal with a ball down the middle, Cristian Romero stepped between Brobbey and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to guide it back.

Brobbey then made contact from behind, sending Romero into Kinsky. Referee Rob Jones awarded a foul but declined to issue a second yellow card. The forward had already been booked in the first half after a clash with Pedro Porro.

On review, the panel delivered a split verdict, by three votes to two, that the on-field decision was wrong. It deemed the challenge a “two-handed push” that met the threshold for a second caution.

Had Brobbey been dismissed, Tottenham would have had a numerical advantage for the closing stages of a match they lost 1-0.

After the game, Brobbey was subjected to racist abuse on social media. Sunderland reported the abuse to the Premier League, the relevant platforms and the police.

The case adds to a cluster of second yellow card errors linked to Jones this season. Panel data records five such incorrect calls involving the referee, all of which were judged to have warranted a sending off.

Source: Sunderland Echo