Football fans have called on FIFA to implement a major rule change regarding red cards after a 'criminal tackle' ended Christantus Uche's season before it began. The Getafe forward suffered a dislocated knee and ligament tears following a challenge by Monaco's Christian Mawissa in a pre-season friendly.
Incident in pre-season friendly
Monaco faced Getafe at the Stade Louis-II on Thursday, with Paris Brunner scoring the only goal from a penalty in a 1-0 win. The match turned chaotic when Uche was brought down by Mawissa, who caught him shin-high with a late challenge, leaving the forward writhing in pain.
Mawissa received a straight red card, and Uche was withdrawn from the match. Getafe later confirmed that the 23-year-old had dislocated his knee and sustained ligament tears, requiring surgery and ruling him out for the entire season.
Fans demand stricter punishments
Social media users argued that Mawissa should face a harsher punishment beyond the red card. One wrote: "According to various newspapers, Uche will miss the entire season with Getafe due to this criminal tackle by Mawissa (Monaco) in a friendly match. His knee is shattered. Mawissa shouldn't play until Uche has recovered."
A second suggested: "It should be a FIFA rule. Whoever injures another player with a reckless or excessively forceful tackle shall be suspended from all competitions until the injured player returns to play, and during that time, they will earn the minimum salary of their league. THIS is how these absurd tackles would end."
Another commented: "What a disgrace. He should be suspended. For the time it takes for the player to recover. I agree with that." A fourth added: "Monaco should pay for all of Uche's rehabilitation and charge it to Mawissa. Things like this should be severely punished, even if it was unintentional."
Club reactions
Monaco manager Filipe Luis expressed regret, saying: "I am truly sorry for Christantus Uche. We never want to see this kind of thing happen on the pitch. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can return as soon as possible." Getafe responded: "Thank you to Filipe Luís and @AS_Monaco for your concern and for the treatment shown toward our player, Christantus Uche. We wish you the best of luck for the 2026/2027 season."
