Idrissa Gueye’s Controversial Red Card in Premier League Clash

Idrissa Gueye was issued his second red card in the Premier League during his 241st appearance, marking the first since October 2017.

In a recent match against Manchester United, Gueye was sent off following a clash with teammate Michael Keane. The incident occurred in the 13th minute at Old Trafford, shortly after Bruno Fernandes of United came close to scoring, with the match still at a standstill.

The conflict began when defender Keane appeared to push Gueye on two occasions, leading to Gueye allegedly placing his hand on Keane’s face. Everton’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford intervened in an attempt to separate the two before referee Tony Harrington issued a straight red card to Gueye for violent conduct.

The Premier League Match Centre confirmed via social media that the decision was reviewed and affirmed by VAR, as the action was determined to be a clear strike to Keane’s face. According to the laws of football, violent conduct is defined as striking an opponent or any other individual on the head or face with the hand or arm, unless the force is deemed negligible.

During a discussion on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, former Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart suggested that prior tensions may have existed between Gueye and Keane. “The referee wasn’t even close enough to hear what Idrissa Gueye was saying, but he was in Michael Keane’s face, who is considerably bigger than him and shoved him off with one arm,” Hart remarked. He added, “If that’s all that happened, though, it isn’t a red card. Something must’ve been brewing between them two.”

Despite being down to ten men, Everton managed to take the lead with a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute.

Gueye’s sending off marks him as the first player to be expelled from a Premier League match for fighting with a teammate since Ricardo Fuller’s incident with Andy Griffin in 2008.

Darren Cann, a former assistant referee with over 1,000 professional matches to his name, called the confrontation between Gueye and Keane “unusual.” He noted that Harrington had an unobstructed view of the incident and correctly identified Gueye’s slap to Keane’s face as violent conduct warranting a red card.

Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez expressed his surprise at the altercation, stating there seemed to be a misunderstanding between the two players. He affirmed that the referee had no alternative but to issue a red card, as the laws dictate.

Idrissa Gana Gueye signed a new one-year contract with Everton in July.