The match is PSV Eindhoven vs. Chornomorets Odesa (a decisive one, with the Ukrainians needing a win to advance to the next stage) and a major flashpoint occurs in the 86th minute of the game. Sito Riera is enraged after a clumsy foul and starts a fight with the PSV footballer. The Spanish forward is deservedly ejected and subsequently has to be restrained by teammates and coaching personnel. I don’t intend to criticize the referee, I think he put in a really good performance, but I wonder whether this is one of those situations where brandishing a quick red card may not be the best approach – it seems as if it incensed the guilty player and did little to defuse the situation (though it’s not out of the question that the Dutch players would have retaliated even more aggressively if a red card had not been produced almost immediately). Would it have been a better idea for the referee to position himself between the opposing players and mete out punishment once everyone had calmed down? Also, should a PSV footballer have been red-carded as well? Do you think that any of the Dutch players did anything that could be interpreted as rising to the level of violent conduct? The Ukrainians managed to hold on to their 1:0 lead despite the numerical disadvantage and will be waiting for the Monday draw, but Riera may receive a hefty ban, as he showed the middle finger to the crowd on his way to the dressing rooms. Highlights of the incident: Here is a longer version: http://ua.tribuna.com/tribuna/blogs/vicebachili/10820.html
I have no issue with showing the red right away. I do wonder what took him so long to get there in the first place. You can't really tell where he started from. He should have stayed closer to the sent off player especially as he was surrounded by opponents. #6 red also gets sent off for attempting to punch #99 blue in the face. Why he's let off with a caution I can't imagine.
Thank you for the comments! @Eastshire, yes, I think that the referee was at least 20 m away from the action when the argument unfolded...this wasn't an ill-tempered match up to that point, so it would have been difficult to anticipate that the player in question could lose his temper in such a way. I agree that he could have intervened slightly more decisively once the red card had been shown. I concur that #6 (though he was pushed or shoved 2 or 3 times before retaliating) could have been dismissed as well. @dimtxref, good point, there may have been a previous history between these two players (or one or two off the ball incidents during the first half), so that's why Riera did not interpret the push as innocuous. #19 deserves some credit for playing the peacemaker. PSV are in a very difficult situation, btw, their recent results have been quite disappointing. The fans must be praying that the rebuilding phase is over soon.