Turkish commentator and former Fifa referee Mustafa Çulcu has questioned the decision to send Super Eagles centre-back Chibuike Nnaiwu off during Trabzonspor’s UEFA Europa League play-off first-leg defeat to Ferencvaros.
Nnaiwu was shown a straight red card in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Trabzonspor suffered a 1-0 defeat at the Şenol Güneş Sports Complex.
Ferencvaros secured victory through Kristoffer Zachariassen’s 17th-minute header, leaving the Turkish side with a one-goal deficit to overturn in the return leg.
The Nigerian defender’s dismissal came late in the match after he was judged to have committed an offence that warranted a straight red card.
The decision has since attracted attention in Turkey, with Çulcu offering a different assessment of the incident.
Assessing the controversial moment, Çulcu argued that Nnaiwu should not have been dismissed and pointed to an earlier foul that he believed played a role in the incident.
“There was no red card in Nwaiwu's situation; there was a provocative foul beforehand,” Çulcu said, as quoted by A Spor.
Nnaiwu’s dismissal is also a setback for Trabzonspor ahead of the second leg in Hungary as he will be unavailable for selection due to suspension.
The return fixture is scheduled for August 27 at the Groupama Arena, where Trabzonspor will need to overturn Ferencvaros’ 1-0 advantage to progress to the Europa League league phase.
Wale Adejumo
Discussions (0)