FIFA has officially announced the dismissal of the officials and referees from the recent Chelsea vs Tottenham match. This decision comes after the referee failed to issue a red card following a dangerous tackle on Reece James and Poor Officiating

Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was judged to have steered clear of committing what officials classified as “serious foul play” after he made forceful contact with Reece James’s ankle during an intense Premier League local derby that took place on Saturday night.

Throughout the match, Bentancur and his fellow Tottenham central midfielders found themselves unable to keep up with the intensity of the opening period, during which Chelsea established clear superiority. The lopsided nature of the encounter had continued well into additional time at the end of the first half, with the away side maintaining a narrow advantage through a solitary strike from João Pedro, when this historically heated rivalry finally produced its initial taste of controversy.

James managed to reach a contested ball ahead of his opponent but paid the price by receiving the full force of Bentancur’s studs making contact with his ankle. The match official, Jarred Gillett, who was overseeing this notoriously contentious matchup for his inaugural time, took a moment to carefully consider his decision. Following a consultation and discussion with the Video Assistant Referee located at Stockley Park, Gillett opted to display a yellow card instead of issuing a red card dismissal. Adding to James’s obvious anger and frustration over the decision, his Chelsea colleague Trevoh Chalobah also received a yellow card booking for his protests and disagreement with the referee’s judgment.

When the players left the field for the half-time break that quickly followed, the Premier League’s official match centre provided clarification by stating: “The referee’s decision to show a yellow card to Bentancur underwent review and received confirmation from the VAR—as the nature of the contact was determined to constitute a reckless challenge rather than an instance of serious foul play.”

Within Law 12 of the FA Handbook, there exists an outline of the nuanced distinctions between what constitutes “reckless” challenges and what qualifies as “serious foul play.”

Reckless is defined as: “When a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent.”

Serious foul play is defined as: “A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality.”