Key Takeaways
- Review panel votes 3-2 that Brobbey deserved a second yellow and red card.
- Romero’s collision with his keeper ended his season after the push.
- Referee Rob Jones has now missed five reds for second bookings this season.
Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey escaped a red card during his side’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham on 12 April, according to the Premier League’s key match incidents panel.
With 63 minutes gone, Brobbey chased a loose ball and shoved Spurs defender Cristian Romero in the back. Romero crashed into keeper Antonin Kinsky and damaged his knee, an injury that has since ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Referee Rob Jones awarded a foul but did not issue a second yellow to Brobbey, who had already been cautioned for an earlier tussle with Pedro Porro. The panel ruled the shove was “an unnecessarily reckless action” and said the 22-year-old should have walked.
Tottenham would have faced ten men for the final half-hour, yet they could not find an equaliser.
After the match Brobbey was targeted with racist messages online. Sunderland reported the abuse to the league, social networks and police.
Data released by the panel show Jones has failed to show five second yellows that should have been reds this season. Overall, he has made ten of the 42 serious errors recorded across the last three seasons.
From August, video officials will be allowed to intervene when a second yellow is shown, but they still cannot act if the referee misses the caution altogether.
