Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho insists Son Heung-Min did not deserve to receive a red card against Chelsea, per Football.London.
What’s he said?
The South Korea international was shown a straight red card after his clash with defender Antonio Rudiger.
Following an altercation, Son appeared to lash out, with his studs being pulled down Rudiger’s ribs.
But Mourinho has taken issue with the red card, which was shown after a VAR check.
He said: “For me, it’s not a red card. I think if we go to every person in this room, some would say yes and some would say no. That’s not the essence of the VAR.
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“The essence, the initial protocol of the VAR, I was involved in the beginning in UEFA meetings and this kind of thing, the VAR is for the penalty of the first half, a clear and obvious mistake, 65,000 persons in the stadium look to the screen and know it’s a penalty. For me that’s the VAR.
“When you have the situation with Son and Rudiger it’s not a clear and obvious mistake by the referee. The mistake from the referee in that action is not to give a yellow card to Rudiger, because of the way he fouls Son.
“That is the clear mistake. But the VAR didn’t say that. Then the VAR goes to the Son situation which for me is not.”
Mourinho also took aim at Rudiger, insisting that he must have sustained “broken ribs”.
He added: “Rudiger is for sure is having scans in the hospital on broken ribs because it was a really violent situation. In some countries, like mine, for example with our culture we used to say clever player but in this country, and one of the reasons I fell in love with this country in 2004 it because we don’t call them clever, we call them other things that I refuse to call.”
Open to interpretation
Son appeared gobsmacked to be shown a red card, too.
And, watching the replays, it certainly appeared as though this was a decision that was open to interpretation.
Son did appear to move his leg towards Rudiger and the slow-motion replay looked all the worse.
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However, Mourinho is probably right; a yellow card apiece – one for Rudiger’s initial foul and another for Son’s reaction – would have seemed the fair punishment.
Instead, the Portuguese is now planning for the next three games without the winger; one can perhaps understand his anger.
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