Joel Bagan’s red card was the appropriate call after preventing a goal-scoring opportunity for Leeds United against Cardiff, Keith Hackett has claimed.
The veteran FIFA referee commented on X (23 September) in response to a fan claim that referee Josh Smith erroneously applied the rules to Bagan’s tackle on Wilfried Gnonto outside the Cardiff box.
Despite Gnonto instantly got back to his feet before being dragged back into the box by Bagan, Smith called play back for the free kick and awarded the Cardiff defender a straight red card.
Breaking down the situation, Hackett said: “I looked at the red card.
“One direction of play towards the goal? Yes; What is the probability of controlling the ball? Yes. Was it a foul? Yes.
“The DOGSO (direct obstruction of a goal-scoring opportunity) law fulfilled and the sanction correct – he applied the law.”
Leeds United controversy vs Cardiff City
With the controversy over Bagan’s red card resolved by Hackett, attention will shift to Daniel Farke’s side’s performance against a numerically depleted team at the bottom of the table.
Cardiff going down to 10 players didn’t make things a walk in the park for the Whites, despite Largie Ramzani’s breakaway goal giving them a 1-0 lead just seven minutes later.
From then on, a malaise set in as the Peacocks struggled to take their chances, and booing could be heard from the away end as the speed of play slowed significantly in the second half.
Joel Piroe’s game-winning goal made it 2-0, but it didn’t arrive until the 87th minute, when Farke blinked and brought on the Dutchman as one of several late substitutions.
A red card and a sixth game without a win leave managerless Cardiff with plenty of issues, but Leeds’ struggles against deep-lying sides will continue to raise questions for Farke.
