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Fabinho appears dejected after his challenge leaves Ferguson crumpled on the ground. Alamy Stock Photo
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English referees' body admit Fabinho should have been sent off for Ferguson tackle

The Liverpool midfielder was merely booked for the studs-up tackle that forced the Irish teenager from the pitch.

THE BODY OVERSEEING referees in English football have admitted that Fabinho should have been given a red card for his high, studs-up challenge on Evan Ferguson during Brighton’s FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. 

Brighton won the game 2-1, but the game came at the cost of losing Ferguson for the final few minutes of the game, as he was forced off injured after Fabinho’s reckless challenge from behind. 

Referee David Coote showed Fabinho a yellow card for the tackle on the field, and VAR official Neil Swarbrick did not deem it worthy of a review on the pitchside monitor to upgrade the challenge to a red card. 

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have now admitted the officials got the decision wrong, as PGMOL sources have accepted the tackle warranted an intervention by VAR to upgrade the punishment to a red card for serious foul play. While they say the tackle was of a relatively low intensity, the justification for a sending off was the fact that Fabinho’s studs made a full point of contact both above Ferguson’s ankle and from behind. 

The referees’ body say any similar tackles in the future should result in a red card. Had he been shown a red card on the field, Fabinho would have to serve a three-match ban. But as the decision was adjudicated on the field, no retrospective ban is possible. 

Brighton now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of Ferguson’s injury, with Ireland manager Stephen Kenny also sweating on the teenager’s fitness ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifier with France on 27 March. 

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