‘It is ruining football… these decisions’: Jamie Redknapp slams the officials for sending off Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard for early lunge on Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy
- Jannik Vestergaard was sent off early on for Southampton against Leicester City
- The Danish defender made an early lunge on Foxes striker Jamie Vardy
- Vestergaard caught the ball but the follow-through came into contact with Vardy
- Jamie Redknapp claims the officials are ‘ruining football’ with these decisions
Jamie Redknapp claims the officials made yet another mistake in sending off Southampton‘s Jannik Vestergaard early on against Leicester on Friday night.
The Saints centre-back was adjudged to have caught Jamie Vardy high on the leg when he was last man after misjudging a back pass, even though the Dane got a piece of the ball before catching the Foxes striker.
Referee Robert Jones brandished a red card to Vestergaard but Redknapp claimed the challenge was not even worthy of a free-kick, let alone a sending off.
Jamie Redknapp claimed Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard should not have been sent off against Leicester on Friday night
Vestergaard was dismissed early on for a lunging challenge on Foxes forward Jamie Vardy
The Sky Sports pundit compared the decision to West Ham defender Fabian Balbuena’s red card against Chelsea last week, who was dismissed for catching Ben Chilwell high after clearing the ball.
Redknapp told Sky on Friday night: ‘I don’t think it is a foul, there is gonna be follow through, look at Balbuena last week.
‘He gets him on ankle, but that is the follow through. It is a contact sport, it is not a foul.
Vestergaard got the ball before colliding with Vardy but he then caught the striker high up
Redknapp says the follow-through should not be deemed a foul and the call is ‘ruining football’
‘Even if it is, it is not 100 per cent Vardy is gonna get there. It is a clear and obvious error. I think all the players were bemused with it.
‘We have to kick back with reality, it is ruining football, these decisions.’
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Darren Bent agreed that Vestergaard was ‘unlucky’ to be given his marching orders as it was simply the momentum of the original challenge that took him through Vardy.
Robert Jones (left) took little time to brandish the sending off for the Southampton defender
Darren Bent agreed with Redknapp that the decision to send Vestergaard off was incorrect
Bent added: ‘It is 100 per cent not (a foul), he (Vestergaard) lunges in that direction, the momentum takes him through.
‘It is not a foul. I can understand if he gets nowhere near the ball, but he has clearly won it. It was unfortunate to send him off. No way is it a red card at all.’
Leicester came into the game looking to strengthen their place in the top-four, while 14th-placed Southampton were aiming to move 12 points clear of the relegation zone with a victory.