Thomas Bramall named Carabao Cup final fourth official after Leeds controversy | OneFootball

Thomas Bramall will be fourth official for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal, according to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, days after a contentious Leeds United 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

The referee faced heavy scrutiny at Selhurst Park, notably for dismissing Leeds left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson for a second yellow card deemed very soft after a collision with Ismaila Sarr on halfway. Bramall appeared to forget the defender had already been booked and was reminded by Palace players and fourth official Paul Tierney.

He then did not show a second yellow to Palace wing-back Brennan Johnson after a foul on James Justin to halt a counter-attack, which was his fourth infringement. Bramall did award Leeds a penalty for a Will Hughes handball and his assistant correctly ruled out a Jefferson Lerma goal for offside.

Bramall will serve alongside referee Peter Bankes, assistants Neil Davies and Steve Meredith and VAR John Brooks. As is standard, all are off domestic league duties this weekend.

The decisions at Palace have dominated debate, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher arguing Gudmundsson’s red card was correct and Johnson was right to remain on the pitch. Other pundits and ex-officials disagreed, while Daniel Farke pointed to inconsistency in his post-match comments.

Farke said Gudmundsson’s challenge lacked pace and was not tactical, adding the official forgot the earlier booking. He contrasted it with Johnson’s foul, which he felt had more force and was clearly tactical, though he was not calling for a dismissal. He added that losing a player can alter a game by about 10 per cent and was grateful to leave with a point.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk