Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the World Cup final as Argentina went down to ten men against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Chelsea midfielder was shown two yellow cards at the MetLife Stadium, with the first brandished for dissent towards the referee, and the second for a rash challenge as he chased a pass back to Pau Cubarsi.
Details of the incident
The Argentine caught the Spanish central defender late, and he was given his marching orders by Slavko Vincic, the Slovenian referee. Darren Cann, the BBC referee analyst, said: “There is no argument. It is a clear second yellow card. The red card is absolutely correct, and I do not expect the VAR to intervene.”
Reactions from commentators
On co-commentary, Alan Shearer, the former England striker, said: “How daft is that from Enzo Fernandez? He is on a yellow card for dissent, not the tackle, but for dissent. He knows that, because that didn’t happen long ago. For him to go into a challenge like that is crazy.”
Historical context
Fernandez becomes the sixth player to be sent off in a World Cup final, following Pedro Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti in 1990, France's Marcel Desailly in 1998, Zinedine Zidane in 2006 and John Heitinga in 2010. As he trudged off the pitch, he kicked a pitchside microphone en route to the tunnel. “He can protest as much as he wants,” Shearer continued. “But it’s the right decision. He gave the referee only one choice, and that was to show another yellow there for the red.”
