With Sheffield Wednesday battling back to take a point from the Rotherham United clash last Saturday at the New York Stadium as both sides played out a 2-2 draw, one decision in particular from the game has incensed some pundits, as well as Wednesday fans themselves.
Fernando Forestieri will miss Wednesday’s clash with Swansea at Hillsborough this weekend #swfc
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) February 18, 2019
Having opened the scoring on the day, 29-year-old Fernando Forestieri went on to pick up his third yellow card of the 2018/19 campaign, and having seen January arrival Dominic Iorfa secure a point with a dramatic stoppage-time effort of his own, Forestieri then picked up an incredibly bizarre second yellow card for simply high fiving a fan as the players celebrated the goal.
BBC pundit and former player Stephen Warnock certainly wasn’t happy with the decision and he told BBC Radio Five Live’s 606 programme.
“I’m going to climb off the fence. I’m going to say that is an absolute disgrace. You book someone for that. Come on! Why the referee feels he has to do that. It must be something in the law book to say he must be booked.”
We all know going into the fans (stands) or whipping your shirt off are bookable offences, but simply high fiving a player – even if he was with the stewards for coming on the pitch – is utterly ridiculous. What next, players booked for helping escort a fan off the pitch which we see pretty regularly or any other variant?
Forestieri now serves an automatic one match ban and misses the Swansea City clash and fans aren’t happy.
Ref should be banned for life. Stealing a living
— Dee (@Hirstysrightpeg) February 18, 2019
Where’s the ban for the incompetent referee @EFL. Yet again forestieri is a scapegoat
— James Paramore (@Pazzaaaa) February 18, 2019
Absolute joke
— Dave (OvO) Dowling (@DoubleD1867) February 18, 2019
Shocking
— Jack (@Jackglocky) February 18, 2019
Disgraceful
— Edward Richard (@EdwardM47420532) February 18, 2019
Ref wants reporting and dropping down the leagues
— John Hirst (@johnnybeatles) February 18, 2019
Referees should be banned for a match when they get red card decisions wrong. Players have to learn from their mistakes, why shouldn't referees? #swfc
— Iron Wilson (@JudeWilson1867) February 18, 2019