PSG vs Liverpool: Should Marco Verratti have been sent off for his challenge on Joe Gomez?

Marco Verratti’s foul in the 24th minute of the Champions League tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool was controversial to say the least.

The Italian midfielder, 26, who had earlier in the match bought a foul at a slight push from Roberto Firmino, leapt in high and late on centre-back Joe Gomez having lost control of the ball.

He was shown a yellow card for the poor challenge, but to many it seemed this was not sufficient punishment for a very ugly tackle.

Marco Verratti gets booked for a late challenge on Joe Gomez…

Should it have been red?! pic.twitter.com/XamnwetWhr

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 28, 2018

Many fans and commentators took to social media to voice their disapproval and their disbelief at the lack of a red card.

To add insult to injury from a Liverpool perspective, Joe Gomez, 21, was shown a yellow card by referee Szymon Marciniak two minutes later for a shirt pull on Neymar, who went to ground.

Reaction

The reaction from neutrals seemed to be pretty consistent, that Marco Verratti should have been awarded a red card for his challenge.

Verratti in a nutshell there: brilliant poise & technique to dance through Liverpool’s press & lay the ball off, then commits a horrendous red card challenge while chasing the return. So smart & yet so brainless at times

— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) November 28, 2018

That Verratti tackle gets worse with every watch. Good job a certain member of the PSG team wasn't on the end of it. More rolls than Greggs.

— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 28, 2018

Nasty, nasty challenge from Verratti that…surely a red card #PSGLFC

— David Maddock (@MaddockMirror) November 28, 2018

Verratti goes if that's a Premier League game.

— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) November 28, 2018

Ref is a joke, didn't give the pen and blatant red card on Verratti, yet quick to dish out yellows for our players

— Dinesh Kumar (@DHardayal) November 28, 2018

No idea how Verratti hasn’t been sent off yet, either.

— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) November 28, 2018

Verratti surely had to be a red?
And can’t believe the Ref needed his assistant to tell him it was a penalty.

— michael owen (@themichaelowen) November 28, 2018

On BBC Radio 5Live former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said: “The referee made the decision very quickly, and with the speed it happens, you think it might be yellow initially. But Marco Verratti might have got away with one there.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans were incensed and social media was full of disbelief at the decision.

This ref has absolutely been paid off. No red for Verratti. Didn't initially give us a blatant pen and is giving PSG every foul possible. This is a joke.

— Net Spend FC (@TheChief_) November 28, 2018

Verratti has to go for that. Disgrace

— Jay Riley (@TheKopHQ) November 28, 2018

We have been horribly poor so far and are honestly lucky to still be in the game.

Having said that, the referee has been atrocious. If not sending Verratti off was still excusable, it was shocking that he needed help awarding that stonewall penalty. #LFC

— Soham S Bidyadhar (@SohamTheRed) November 28, 2018

Poor first half from Reds. Milner’s pen something to build on for 2nd half. How different things could’ve been though if ref hadn’t bottled his decision to only hand Verratti a yellow for this tackle. Red card all day. #PSGLIV #UCL pic.twitter.com/uAE7ZEouef

— Nick Christou (@Nikolaki78) November 28, 2018

What the rules say

Law 12 on misconduct states that red cards can be awarded for “serious foul play”, which is defined as follows: “A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play.

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“Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.”

When reviewing the footage, the latter part of this law suggests that Verratti should have been sent off. He leapt with excessive force and with both feet up.

It’s hard to argue Verratti’s foul should have only been a yellow card, but that’s how the referee saw it nonetheless.

@LouisAlexDore