Stoke City red card decision under spotlight after Scott Parker slammed 'indefensible' action
Embattled referee Gavin Ward has been praised for his 'excellent spot' after sending off Burnley's Hannibal for violent conduct against Stoke City.
Hannibal was shown a straight red card late in a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor on New Year's Day when he stamped twice on Stoke right-back Junior Tchamadeu. It was a difficult incident to miss and Scott Parker slammed Hannibal for letting down his club.
Yet Ward, who has overseen controversial moments involving Stoke this season, was singled out for applause from referee pundit Chris Foy in Sky Sports' latest Ref Watch segment.
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Foy said: "This is an excellent example of a red card for violent conduct, and the type of incident that we don't want to see in football. As the Burnley player goes to retrieve the ball from the corner, he deliberately stands on the Stoke City number 22.
"It is clear that this was a deliberate non-footballing action that could've been avoided. Because of the degree of force, a straight red is absolutely the right decision and an excellent spot by the referee."
Hannibal was banned for three matches.
Parker said in his post-match press conference: “He’s let us down today. He’s let the team down, he’s let myself down, he’s let the staff down. He understands that.
“He’s devastated but I will deal with him and deal with that situation. But he’s a young player still in development. He’s a player that is always on the line and I would never want to take that out of him because that makes him the player he is. But today he’s stepped over that line and we will deal with it, show where he’s gone wrong and I will help him through that.”
He added: "I've got no real defence. This is a young player who has obviously crossed that line."
