Ex-FIFA official rages after Aston Villa v Ipswich Town controversy, ‘Pulling my hair out’
Noel Egan can’t believe Sam Morsy wasn’t set off during the 2-2 draw between Aston Villa and Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Sunday (29 September).
The ex-FIFA official claims the midfielder should have received a second booking on two separate occasions.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher claimed Morsy was lucky to stay on the pitch after fouling Jaden Philogene while already on a booking (via Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch, 11:31 am, 30 September).
And Egan – speaking exclusively to Villa News – was stunned by the events that unfolded.
“I’m amazed he wasn’t sent off twice,” Egan said.
“Before his stamp on Philogene, he caught Youri Tielemans with a stamp on the foot having already received a booking.
“Then 15 or 20 minutes later he does the same thing on Philogene, this time with the full foot on top of Philogene’s foot. I was looking for a second yellow card for the foul on Tielemans, and the foul on Philogene was even worse.
“Therefore, he is exceedingly fortunate to have remained on the pitch and should have definitely been sent off, the referee got it wrong. This higher threshold that referees are looking at, this wasn’t a higher threshold, this was a challenge that could break somebody’s foot.
“It does leave me pulling my hair out. It is not the VAR or technology at the end of the day, it is the referee sitting in the room. They got it completely wrong on this occasion.”
Sam Morsy lucky not to be shown a red card for Ipswich Town v Aston Villa?
Villa weren’t at their best against Ipswich Town on Sunday, with Unai Emery baffling Bryan King with one of his selection decisions.
Ultimately, the hosts were good value for the point. However, things could have been very different had Morsy been sent off.
Villa were 2-1 up when the 33-year-old fouled Philogene. Therefore, they have good reason to believe they might have gone on to win the match had he been shown a second yellow card.
As a result, Emery probably won’t be best pleased with the referees. However, he will know that his team weren’t at their best and must show much more in the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich at Villa Park on Wednesday (2 October).
In other Aston Villa news, the club have been dealt a big blow with a key player ruled out of the match against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
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