Thomas Frank was adamant that Joao Pedro should've been shown red after swinging an elbow at Yehor Yarmoliuk. The Brighton forward dodged any punishment during his side's goalless draw with Brentford , but the Bees boss and his counterpart were not aligned on whether the decision made by referee Andy Madley was the right one. Pedro was carrying the ball when Yarmoliuk attempted to tug him back and stop his progress.
In an effort to shake off his opponent the Brighton star tried to wriggle free, but appeared to throw an elbow back in an aggressive fashion, narrowly missing his opponent's head. Frank said: “Yes (Joao Pedro should have got sent off) - you can’t swing your arms and try to hit someone. If you hit them or not, it’s a red card.
” However Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler was adamant his player was simply trying to rid of his opponent and the decision was a correct one. “For me, it’s not a red card. He (Pedro) tried to get free from a personal duel," he said.
VAR officials reviewed the footage but opted not to send Pedro off, with the Premier League later releasing a statement explaining why he avoided punishment. "The referee’s call of no red card to Joao Pedro for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed the referee’s call was not clear and obviously wrong," the statement read. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg agreed with the decision not to dish out a red card, but warned that it would have been an "easy" decision for t.
