A rare incident and a cause for controversy: Referee protects himself with a red card

Senegalese international referee Issa Sy sparked widespread controversy after the end of the match between Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis and Egypt’s Al Ahly in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, after he made an unusual move immediately after the final whistle.

Espérance secured a valuable 1-0 victory in the match held at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades on Sunday evening, putting the Tunisian team in a strong position to reach the semifinals before the anticipated return leg in Cairo.

However, the most talked-about moment wasn’t the goal itself, but rather what happened after the final whistle. As soon as the final whistle blew, the referee reached into his pocket, pulled out a red card, and held it up in the air, without showing it to any player from either team. This bizarre scene quickly ignited discussions on social media.

The move appeared to be more of an early warning than a disciplinary measure, as television footage showed Al Ahly’s football director, Walid Salah El-Din, approaching the referee immediately after the final whistle, while some of the Egyptian team’s players, including Hussein El Shahat, tried to speak to him.

However, the Cairo club’s football director quickly intervened and prevented the players from approaching the referee, fearing that any protest might result in a card that could rule one of them out of the second leg.

Does the referee send off players after the final whistle?

According to the laws of football, the referee has the authority to show yellow or red cards even after the final whistle, as long as the incident occurred within or immediately after the match. However, the Senegalese referee’s actions seemed more like a precautionary measure aimed at calming the situation and preventing any attempt at a collective protest.

While Esperance secured an important home victory, the image of the red card raised in the air remained one of the most controversial moments of the match, adding another chapter to the series of controversial refereeing moments that continue to be etched in the memory of African football.

Featured image via the Canary