Hjulmand gets away with it again: protests, hand on ref, no warning | OneFootball

Kasper Hjulmand is once again at the centre of controversy because of his relationship with refereeing teams. In a new episode, the Sporting captain is seen persistently protesting to the referee, even placing his hand on the official’s chest. Despite the proximity and his confrontational attitude, there was no disciplinary action against the Sporting midfielder.

The moment reinforces a criticism that has been repeated throughout the season: the perception that Hjulmand benefits from a greater margin of tolerance than other players when addressing referees. The controversy surrounding the Danish international is not new and had already been fuelled by several reactions in Portuguese football.

Recently, José Mourinho, Benfica’s coach, even spoke of an “untouchable” Sporting player, pointing to the way Hjulmand is able to argue over incidents and accumulate fouls without proportionate disciplinary consequences. The midfielder himself later responded, assuring that he maintains “a good relationship with the referees”.

FC Porto had also already publicly expressed displeasure over situations involving the Sporting player, speaking of “shocking impunity” following other controversial incidents this season.

This new case therefore once again sparks debate over the disciplinary criteria applied on the pitch, especially when protests and physical contact with the refereeing team are involved. At a decisive stage of the season, episodes of this kind are likely to remain under intense scrutiny.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.