Milan furious with Bartesaghi’s red card as replays confirm referee made a mistake

AC Milan were left furious with the referee in their 3-0 win against Lecce as Davide Bartesaghi was sent off just minutes after coming off the bench. Indeed, the replays showed that it clearly wasn’t a red-card offence, with the referee making a serious mistake. 

Bartesaghi came off the bench in the 75th minute and just five minutes later, he was shown a red card after a tackle on Lameck Banda. The referee didn’t hesitate as he showed the red card and the youngster’s reaction told us everything we needed to know.

Looking at the replays, it’s true that the tackle was perhaps on the reckless side but Bartesaghi got the ball and only made contact with Banda’s foot after. In short, his studs were in a natural position and there was nothing he could do.

Today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (via SempreMilan) analysed the referee’s performance, as it does after every game, and stated that a yellow card would have been more appropriate. And on social media, Milan fans have been highlighting the reckless tackle made by Yann Sommer in the derby last weekend (which wasn’t even a yellow card despite the studs being much higher).

It remains to be seen if the Rossoneri will appeal the red card, and if they would even be successful, as the referee made a judgement call. Still, with the replays showing a different story, it’s very strange that VAR wasn’t called into action last night.