Rio Ferdinand punishes referee for ‘absolute shame’ of decision for Chelsea’s second penalty

Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole criticized the decision to award Chelsea their second penalty of the night when the Blues comfortably beat Rennes 3-0 in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

Frank Lampard’s men were already 1-0 up against the French team after Timo Werner had converted from 12 yards after being fouled and the German, who replaced Jorginho on penalty kick service, had a chance to double your account from the point in no time. before halftime, when Tammy Abraham’s cornering shot bounced off Dalbert’s foot and struck the hapless defender’s hand.

After consulting the pitch monitor, referee Felix Zwayer granted the decision and gave Dalbert a second yellow card, which came after the Brazilian had already been booked for giving away the foul on the first penalty. Werner stayed calm to make it 2-0.

‘This is an absolute disgrace. The child does not intentionally block the ball with his hands. The referee walks up to the screen, deliberates and still gives it. It puzzles me, ”Ferdinand raged.

‘It’s a joke. He’s so close that he’s only going to block the ball with his feet.

He ruined my game. I was absolutely stunned. Then the red card crowned it all.

The former Manchester United defender said that, in his experience, the stricter laws on handball were unpopular across the soccer world.

“We are lucky enough to go to some games and we can talk to some of the players after the game and I often ask these players,” How are you dealing with these penalty decisions and the new rules? who have entered? “There has not been a player who has said:” I totally agree. “They are all confused.

‘There are too many gray areas. A decision is made, the referee explodes, everyone is in panic stations, the heart rate shoots up, because there is so much uncertainty. I don’t think it’s good for the game.

‘All these rules are completely changed every year. The game was great before all of this came along. Why change something that was already great? We’re adding new and different rules that almost certainly create gray areas. ‘

Cole felt such decisions make it impossible for coaches to tell defenders how to do their jobs.

‘How are you going to train young defenders where to put your arms where you’re trying to defend? Because if you’re doing your job right, you have to be athletic and stop the ball. Where are your arms supposed to go? I ask.

‘The shot is right next to the midfield and the wings, so the ball could go anywhere. A detour was necessary, which must add to the frustration that the Rennes players must be feeling. It is definitely not a penalty.

‘It’s almost as if FIFA and UEFA are trying to destroy themselves. You have this product that is incredible, it is sold worldwide. All these rules that have come in, they are trying to improve it, but sometimes you can’t improve something that is as good as football.

‘Another thing I hate is that we didn’t even know there was a penalty decision until we saw it on the screen and we are three former players saying, “What happened there?” There’s nothing wrong with that, so I think the secret might be to get the players in and ask, “What do you think?”

The result was a formality once the visitors were one man down, with Reece James teeing off Tammy Abraham within five minutes of the second half to secure all three points and keep Chelsea at the top of the group.

They will advance to the knockout phase with two matches to spare if they defeat Rennes at Roazhon Park on November 24 and Krasnodar fail to beat Sevilla.