‘It’s not smart, but is he doing something wrong? – Football International

Union Sint-Gillis had a false start on Monday evening in the play-offs for the Belgian national title. To make matters worse, defender Christian Burgess received a remarkable red card in the final phase of the lost match against RC Genk (1-0).

The extra time was already a few minutes away when Burgess threw the ball against the head of Genk striker Tolu Arokodare from close range after some arguing during a throw-in. The 32-year-old Englishman, who played for Portsmouth in the past, received his first direct red card in the Jupiler Pro League.

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Former striker Wesley Sonck understood little of it. “I think he just throws in,” the former Belgian international and former player for Ajax, among others, said in the talk show Extra Time. ‘What is he doing wrong? That is the question. It’s not smart, but is he doing something wrong? You can throw in. Is this in the regulations?’

Union midfielder Alessio Castro-Montes also felt that a red card was a severe punishment for his teammate. ‘He deliberately throws at Tolu, but I think red is very strict. Maybe the referee was guided by his emotions.’ However, defender Charles Vanhoutte noted to Sporza that VAR did not intervene. “So maybe it was justified.”

Unacceptable
Trainer Alexander Blessin was quite critical of Burgess. He thought his players were too concerned with the referee and the Englishman in particular. “When you see how much he talked to the referee, it’s unacceptable… Sometimes it’s too much. I always protect my players, but this was not a very good situation,” the German coach said.

Blessin does not panic because of the defeat, which brings Anderlecht level with Union after halving the points. ‘Our first half was really shit, it had to do with mentality. Things went better in the second half. But you can lose a match. Will we see the real Union again in the coming weeks? No doubt about it.’

* Current until April 2. 2024

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