Referee criticised for sending off Iraq striker Aymen Hussein

Jordan comes from behind to beat Iraq in a tense match until the last minute

Asian Cup 2023 Round of 16 Schedule and Results

18:30 January 28: Australia 4-0 Indonesia

23:00 January 28: Tajikistan 1-1 (penalty 5-3) UAE

18:30 January 29: Iraq 2-3 Jordan

23:00 January 29: Qatar 2-1 Palestine

18:30 January 30: Uzbekistan vs Thailand

23:00 January 30: Saudi Arabia vs South Korea.

18:30 January 31: Bahrain vs Japan

23:00 January 31: Iran vs Syria

"I have never seen a referee send a player off the pitch because he celebrated a goal after scoring! Congratulations to the Iranian referee. He is a true hero.

"You ruined our fun," an Iraqi fan expressed anger after striker Aymen Hussein was sent off immediately after scoring against Jordan in the 2023 Asian Cup Round of 16 match on the evening of January 29 (Vietnam time).

Accordingly, in the 76th minute, when the score between the two teams was 1-1, Aymen Hussein had a beautiful diagonal shot, helping the Iraqi team take a 2-1 lead.

The Iraqi striker was excited and ran to the corner of the field to act out the scene of sitting cross-legged on the field and eating and partying that the Jordanian players had shown earlier when they opened the scoring in the first half.

Aymen Hussein celebrates provocatively after scoring against Jordan in the 76th minute of the match (Photo: Reuters).

The referee turned the second yellow card into a red card, sending Hussein off the field after his provocative celebration (Photo: Getty).

However, Aymen Hussein's joy quickly turned to disappointment when Iranian referee Alireza Faghani showed Hussein a second yellow card and sent him off for provocative celebration with his opponent.

According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules, Hussein's celebration, similar to Jordan's opening goal celebration, could be classified as "a gesture or action taken in a provocative, mocking or inflammatory manner" and therefore warrants a yellow card. As Hussein had already received a yellow card, he was sent off for the provocative celebration.

It is worth mentioning that after Iraq was reduced to playing with only 10 men, things became worse when Jordan scored two consecutive goals in the extra minutes of the match, thereby winning 3-2 and sending the team that won the Asian Cup in 2007 to the round of 16 of this tournament.

Jordanian players celebrated provocatively but were not penalized, making Iraqi fans angry and demanding justice (Photo: SSC).

Iraq coach Jesus Casas said after the match: "In a big tournament like the Asian Cup, you cannot send a player off after celebrating a goal. Jordan's players also celebrated provocatively when they opened the scoring but the referee took no action.

The problem was the timing of the red card. It happened after we had used all our substitutions so it was a very difficult situation. We didn't have the opportunity to make any changes inside the pitch."

Many Iraqi fans also criticized referee Alireza Faghani after sending striker Aymen Hussein off the field just for celebrating a goal.

"Congratulations to the referee. What a shameful decision," an Iraqi fan said on the AFC Asian Cup page.

"We protested the match between Iraq and Jordan. The referee's sending off of player Hussein was unfair to us. It was as if he wanted to force Iraq to lose," another Iraqi fan said.

Even on the ChangeOrg page, many Iraqi fans signed a petition to reorganize the match between Iraq and Jordan, claiming that referee Alireza Faghani's decision unfairly caused their team to lose the match.

According to The Athletic, the Iraqi Football Federation has asked the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clarification on Hussein's red card but has not received a response at this time.

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/trong-tai-bi-chi-trich-vi-duoi-khoi-san-tien-dao-aymen-hussein-cua-iraq-20240130122959075.htm