Lisandro MartĂnez was sent off for hair-pulling during Manchester United's 2-1 defeat to Leeds, despite the incident initially going unnoticed by the referee. The decision sparked controversy, with interim coach Michael Carrick criticizing the officiating while acknowledging the team's poor performance.
Seeing as the Ifab laws of football decree that hair-pulling is an act of violent conduct that is punishable by a straight red card, Football Daily is somewhat perplexed by the controversy surrounding the dismissal of Lisandro MartĂnez at Old Trafford on Monday night. Approaching the hour mark of his sideâs 2-1 defeat by Leeds, the Argentinian quite clearly yanked Dominic Calvert-Lewinâs hair, sending the Leeds strikerâs man-bunned up tresses cascading over his shoulders by pulling off the scrunchy that was holding them in place without so much as a formal invitation.
While the incident went unnoticed by referee Paul Tierney, Calvert-Lewin and the curtain-twitchers at Stockley Park quickly intervened. Upon reviewing the involuntary Timotei advert reboot on his pitchside monitor, Tierney announced that MartĂnez was being sent off while pronouncing the word âhairâ with the same clipped dramatic flair Audrey Roberts used to bring to Coronation Street. With MartĂnez caught bang to rights, United could have few complaints but obviously that didnât stop Michael Carrick giving the match officials both barrels after the match in a bid to deflect from his teamâs poor performance.
âThat decision was one of the worst Iâve ever seen,â he fumed. âI donât even know what it looks like. Itâs not a pull, itâs not a tug, itâs not aggressive. He touches it and he gets sent off.â The Manchester United interim head coachâs argument was only slightly undermined by the fact that all available evidence suggested MartĂnezâs act of aggression was a pull, was a tug and therefore couldnât be considered anything other than aggressive. In the subsequent hullaballoo of whataboutery whipped up by Social Media Abominations and assorted pundits to which Football Daily is currently adding its two cents, similar incidents involving Marc Cucurella, Michael Keane and Peter Crouch were excavated from the archives to prove that in football, consistency among match officials is as rare as players sporting man-buns used to be. And thatâs OK because, while both consistency and common sense are perfectly acceptable, itâs impossible to have both.
For all their indignation over the punishment meted out to MartĂnez, Manchester United were deservedly beaten so it was no surprise to see Carrick sing a post-match lament straight from the Alex Ferguson songbook. Having masterminded victory for Leeds in the league at Old Trafford for the first time since 1981, Daniel Farke earned lavish praise from Roy Keane. âHeâs proven to be a brilliant manager,â trilled Keane, resisting the urge to point out that the German had just done his job. âObviously, theyâve got the win tonight, and he also has them through to a cup semi-final. Theyâve got a bit of momentum now.â Having won just one in four, the same cannot be said for their hosts. Given the stony expression on Big Sir Jim Ratcliffeâs face as he watched Manchester United lose, his interim head coach could be hair today but gone at the end of the season.
Join Simon Burnton from 7pm BST for minute-by-minute updates from England 1-2 Spain in their Womenâs World Cup qualifier, while Rob Smyth will be on deck for Liverpool 3-2 PSG (agg: 3-4) at 8pm in Bigger Cup, with Will Unwin at the wheel for AtlĂ©tico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona (agg: 3-2).
âI donât know if I was different, but I played the piano, the guitar. I had started guitar at 15 and always liked it: acoustic, then electric in a band ⊠decent. Less so on the piano, although I got better during the pandemic. There were always things to do, learn. I was fascinated by gadgets, new technology, the explosion of the internet. I did magic. With [former forward] Santi Ezquerro at Barcelona we learned to do tricks together. Proper tricks, not just cards: practising in front of the mirror, making sure you do the movements right so you donât get detected. I had just always been curious about things. So, whatever comes ⊠â â former Liverpool winger Luis GarcĂa chats to Sid Lowe about noodling, sleight of hand, that goal and adventures in Malaysia.
Luis GarcĂa is now chief suit at Johor Darul Taâzim FC. Photograph: Johor Darul Taâzim FC
Breaking news! Andoni Iraola has informed Bournemouth he will do one when his contract expires at the end of the season, with several Premier League jobs potentially arising as well as the tempting prospect of heading back to his beloved Athletic Club. Iraolaâs future has been getting tongues wagging for months and he has kept staff in the dark before deciding he will call time on his tenure after three seasons in charge. Bournemouthâs players were told of his planned exit after training on Tuesday. Iraola made 510 appearances for Athletic, who have also been linked with the former Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic, and recently said he is a âsupporterâ of the club. Crystal Palace expressed their admiration for Iraola after Oliver Glasner confirmed he will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season in January, but Iraola is expected to attract the attention of bigger clubs.
double quotation markShould Spurs be relegated (no question mark, this isnât The Moral Maze), it will be not only funny, not only a salutary Ozymandias moment â the âŹuropean $uper ÂŁeague, anyone? â but also a perfect opportunity for a club with an undoubtedly great heritage to take stock, give its long-suffering supporters a season of winning, and come back up in better shape than they have been since Mauricio Pochettino leftâ â Mark Dawson.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Todayâs prizeless letter oâ the day winner is ⊠Mark Dawson. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them are here.
Itâs David Squires on ⊠the TikTok of the clock as Arsenalâs title charge falters.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, TikTok? Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian
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Lisandro MartĂnez received a red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair, an act deemed violent conduct under football laws.
Michael Carrick criticized the red card decision, calling it one of the worst he had ever seen, while also trying to deflect attention from the team's overall poor performance.
Manchester United lost the match 2-1 to Leeds, marking Leeds' first victory at Old Trafford since 1981.
The red card and the team's struggles may put MartĂnez's position at risk, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the interim head coach's future.
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