Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has been dismissed for pulling an opponent's hair during the Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday. The incident occurred in the first half when Ballard grabbed the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare.
Initially, referee Paul Tierney allowed play to continue, but after a VAR review, he upgraded the punishment to a red card for violent conduct. The official announcement stated: 'After review, Sunderland 5 clearly pulls the hair of the Wolves player. Final decision is red card, violent conduct.'
Despite the decision favouring their side, Wolves fans expressed their disdain for VAR, chanting 'boring' and 'it's not football anymore'. Hair pulling has become a contentious issue in recent weeks, with Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez also sent off for a similar offence against Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
United boss Michael Carrick described that decision as one of the 'worst decisions' he had ever witnessed. Ballard's sending off marks the second time this season a player has been dismissed for pulling Arokodare's hair, following Everton's Michael Keane in January.
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