Wigan boss Steve Bruce has called for changes in the disciplinary system after Emmerson Boyce was unjustly sent-off recently.
Boyce was dismissed for two yellow cards in the draw at Newcastle. There was little argument about the first, but the second was a mistake by referee Andre Mariner as Boyce quite clearly got the ball and not the man.
Bruce was livid about the decision as Wigan had been leading at the time and ended up only just scraping a draw and almost immediately after the game Mariner admitted he got the decision wrong and apologised to the Wigan boss.
“I admire Andre for admitting his error but what good does it do us? The rules are ridiculous. Referees have a really difficult job and it’s far too often that we are talking about them after games,” said Bruce.
Boyce served a one-match ban and Wigan are powerless to do anything even though the referee admitted making a mistake because the laws do not allow teams to appeal bookings.
It prompted Bruce to call for the introduction of video technology, but with the FA unlikely to upset the football odds and do that, the least they can do is alter the current rules.
In special circumstances, where the referee has admitted an error, clubs should be able to appeal yellow cards and not be wrongly punished twice.
By Phil Tomlinson
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