A Portuguese soccer coach has been suspended for one match and fined, even after the sport’s disciplinary council ruled that the referee’s grounds for his expulsion were “erroneously perceived.”
Fábio Pereira, coach of União de Leiria, received the one-game suspension along with a fine of 1,607 euros (approximately $1,730 USD).
The incident occurred during a Portuguese Second League match where Leiria secured a 2-1 victory over Chaves.
Pereira, 46, was shown two yellow cards, which resulted in a red card expulsion. The second yellow card proved to be highly controversial.
According to the referee, Gustavo Correia, Pereira “retarded the restart of his own team’s game preventing a substitution from taking place.”
Pereira, however, stated he had informed a match delegate about his desire to alter a planned substitution.
Despite Pereira’s communication, the delegate kept the original substitution displayed, leading to the referee issuing the decisive second yellow card.
Portugal’s Disciplinary Council launched a summary proceeding to investigate the incident.
The council concluded that the referee’s reported facts regarding the expulsion were “false” and had been “erroneously perceived” by the official.
Despite this finding, the Disciplinary Council opted to uphold the one-match suspension and the financial penalty against Pereira.