Premier League issue official statement after Brighton vs Brentford incident
An explanation has been given after Brentford’s Igor Thiago was sent off at Brighton.
Albion, who can move up to second in the Premier League with victory at the Amex Stadium, lead 2-0 at half-time on Sunday (November 8).
A stunning strike from Diego Gomez opened the scoring after just 15 minutes.
Eight minutes later, Brentford’s uphill battle became even steeper when their striker saw red, following an altercation with Chema Andres.
The Brazilian was found guilty of violent conduct, following a video review.
The Premier League Match Centre’s official statement, on X (formerly Twitter), read: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of yellow card to Thiago and upgraded it to a red card for violent conduct.”
Explaining the decision on the pitch, referee Michael Oliver said Thiago ‘pushes his opponent in the face with force’, adding: “Yellow card is cancelled and the final decision is red card.”
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann has also had his say.
He told BBC Sport: “Igor Thiago strikes his opponent in the face. The law is clear – unless it is negligible force that is used, like a playful pat on the cheek, this has to be sanctioned as a red card.
"Referee Michael Oliver had no option but to send him off.”