Premier League Match Center has issued a statement after Lisandro Martinez was given a red card for unnecessarily pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair against Leeds United. Referee Paul Tierney was sent to the VAR screen after Manchester United’s Argentine centre-back pulled Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail during a contest for an aerial ball. Martinez was given his marching orders in the 56th minute when he was sent off for a red card, with his team already leading 2-0 thanks to two first-half goals from Noah Okafor.
A statement from MatchCentre said: “#Manly – 54th minute VAR overturn: Following a VAR review, the referee gives Martinez a red card for violent conduct. Referee announces: “As a result of the review, the Manchester United No. 6 is guilty of violent conduct for pulling his hair. The final decision is a red card.” United legend Gary Neville, co-commentator for Sky Sports, said of the incident: Martinez looked confused, asking, “What did I do?” But these days, pulling hair gets you a red card. he knew what he was doing. ”
After the match, Calvert-Lewin told Sky Sports: “I don’t know. I’m not the one who makes the rules at the end of the day. I felt like I was getting my hair pulled, so obviously I told the referee. He makes the decision. It’s unfortunate for him (Martinez). Whether he meant it or not, I don’t hold any grudges. That’s the reality.”
This comes after Everton defender Michael Keane was penalized for a similar foul on Wolves striker Tolu Alokodea in January. Keane similarly pulled the forward’s hair during an aerial challenge.
The decision infuriated manager David Moyes, but Everton unsuccessfully appealed for Keane’s sacking. The Scot’s attempt to have his red card overturned was rejected, as was a secondary appeal by the Toffees to reduce his three-match ban.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Committee unanimously voted that the red card was the correct decision. The majority view of the Football Association’s regulatory committee was that “the act of forcibly pulling someone’s hair falls outside the normal elements of a challenge in football.”
The committee ruled that “in the broader interests of the football community, ‘hair-pulling’ behavior should not be tolerated and should be discouraged.”
Despite Martinez’s red card, 10-man United halved the deficit after 13 minutes at Old Trafford when Casemiro headed home Bruno Fernandes’ cross. The assist was the Red Devils captain’s 17th in the Premier League.
However, Leeds recorded a 2-1 win at Old Trafford, ultimately paying the price for a poor first half and the sacking of Martinez. It was the first away league win against United in 45 years.
United legend Roy Keane reacted on Sky Sports: “They’ll be disappointed. They’ve been very strong in recent months and were full of praise for the manager. There were concerns going into the game as they hadn’t played for a number of weeks, but Carrick said he’s fine.”
“But when you start the game that slow, it’s hard to recover. You have to run and Man United weren’t sprinting. There was a little bit at the end, but it was too little, too late.”
“It’s a huge setback for them. Especially in the first half, the midfield was non-existent. There was no energy, no quality and Leeds got out of the blocks straight away. It was a great result for them.”
