Former Referee’s Take on the Highly Debated Red Card for Emerson

It was a tough evening for Olympique de Marseille. Playing against Sporting CP on Wednesday night, Roberto De Zerbi’s team lost 1-2. Despite starting strong with an early goal from Paixao, Marseille faced adversity after Emerson received a red card, leading to their defeat against the Portuguese side. On the show “Rothen s’enflamme” on RMC, former international referee Bruno Derrien shared his insights on the controversial red card incident involving the Italian-Brazilian player.

“On the first yellow card, Emerson couldn’t do much with his arm unless he wanted to harm himself. For the simulation, the referee had no choice but to issue the second yellow card. It’s called simulation—it’s a yellow card. That’s the rule, and it is entirely justified. The real debate is about the first yellow card. Yes, his arm was slightly away from his body, but does that really count as unsportsmanlike conduct? I’m not fully convinced,” he explained. His comments echo those of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who described the officiating as “scandalous.”