Ex-refs chief instantly reacts to Daniel Svensson red card vs Tottenham as Diogo Dalot cited
Referee Glenn Nyberg finally made the right decision to send Daniel Svensson off during Tottenham’s win over Borussia Dortmund.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Dortmund defender deserved to see red after a studs-up challenge on Wilson Odobert.
This comes just days after Diogo Dalot avoided being sent off against Man City, with Michael Dawson believing that, while Svensson’s foul “wasn’t as bad,” it was always going to result in a red.
Thomas Frank is under great pressure at Tottenham, so victory was much-needed on Tuesday, 20 January. He will have been jumping for joy when seeing the opponents go down to 10 men.
Spurs quickly punished the German giants, having already opened the scoring through Cristian Romero, with Dominic Solanke doubling the home side’s lead before the half-time break.
Keith Hackett overjoyed as Daniel Svensson sees red
Svensson was originally shown a yellow card for his late challenge, but after a quick VAR review, the 23-year-old was given his marching orders, much to the disappointment of the travelling fans.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “It’s good to witness the match officials apply the law correctly. This was an act of serious foul play in the challenge, and therefore, a red card.”
Hackett has been extremely critical of both referees and VAR officials in the Premier League this season, so it was a nice change of pace to see those in Europe make clean, precise decisions.
Of course, talk around Dalot’s challenge continues, especially now that Howard Webb has backed the decision of no red card, emphasising the difference in quality between England and Europe.
Michael Dawson shares his immediate reaction to Borussia Dortmund red
Dawson was absolutely certain that a red card was going to be awarded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and in the end, he was right after a VAR review.
Speaking live on Sky Sports (20 January, 8:28pm), he said: “The referee didn’t give it in real time. VAR intervened, and when you slow it down, it’s a really high challenge.
“Svensson has the ball, and he has it nicked, and lunges in while trying to win it back. When he lunges, Wilson Odobert… It’s so high up his leg, and going to a still, I said straight away it was a red card.
“He didn’t mean to do it, but when you endanger an opponent, the outcome is a red card. For me, it wasn’t as bad as [Diogo] Dalot, but it still deserved a red card.”
All football fans are calling for is consistency, and in Europe, that is really what English fans get, and Webb should be striving for similar back in the Premier League. But his recent quotes do not give anyone confidence.