Former PGMOL boss thinks Tottenham skipper Cristian Romero was lucky not to be sent off against Brentford.
Tottenham Hotspur beat London rivals Brentford 2-0 on Saturday to ease pressure on Thomas Frank, finally recording a home win in the Premier League after the opening weekend of the season.
Xavi Simons finally announced himself as a Spurs player, scoring his first goal for the club. He also chipped in with the assist for Richarlison’s opener. Young Archie Gray also put in an impressive display in the middle of the park. But, skipper Cristian Romero hogged the limelight for wrong reasons in the match.
Fresh from scoring a brace in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, Cristian Romero was pumped up for the challenge of Brentford. Being the leader of the pack, he shouldered the responsibility of marshalling Brentford’s in-form striker Igor Thiago. And while he did keep Thiago quiet for large periods of the game, one incident between the pair stirred up a controversy on Saturday.
EX-PGMOL boss claims Cristian Romero should’ve been sent off against Brentford
There was plenty of debate when Cristian Romero flew into a reckless challenge on Thiago from behind, ending the tackle in a scissor-like manner. This sparked a mass confrontation of players, as referee Rob Jones brandished a yellow card to the Argentinean defender.
Despite a VAR check for potential serious foul play, the centre-back was allowed to stay on the pitch. The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed that the on-field decision was correct, with match officials deeming the challenge as “reckless” rather than “dangerous”. As a result, the yellow card was not upgraded into a red.
However, former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett voiced his frustrations at the VAR after Romero was allowed to walk away with such a dangerous scissor challenge on Thiago.
“When I first saw it, I thought yellow [card]. Then, on second view, you could see that excessive force,” Keith Hackett said on Football Insider’s The Final Whistle podcast.
“There’s no question that he’s come in at pace, he’s off the ground, he’s taken the man, and he’s finished in the scissor-tackle.
“I cannot believe that the referee didn’t detect that as an offence to begin with, and then VAR comes in, the referee gives a yellow, and they haven’t said, ‘You’ve got that one wrong, it’s a red’
“They must have been sleeping. This is a definite red; I’m not sitting on the fence. It puts the player’s safety at risk. There’s no question about that.”
Cristian Romero was lucky to escape with a yellow card for challenge on Thiago
Romero has a habit of lunging into tackles and challenges, and he did the same against Brentford on Saturday when he went two foot on Thiago from behind. The Spurs skipper almost made the day uncomfortable mid-way through the first half, yet escaped with a yellow card.
Certainly, the Argentinean star was fortunate to stay on the pitch after making such a challenge. Despite reviewing the challenge, it was a massive surprise that VAR chose to let Jones’ on-field decision on Romero stay and not recommend a review on the monitor. The 27-year-old went on to complete 81 minutes before being substituted for Kevin Danso.
Had Romero received the marching orders in the first half, the outcome of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday could have been different.
