Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin Escaped Red Card for ‘Hair Pull’ Which Burned Lisandro Martinez
Dominic Calvert-Lewin escaped any punishment for an apparent hair pull on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella in Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal, just under two weeks after the Leeds United striker had been on the receiving end of a similar incident at the hand of Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez.
Martínez was given a red card for what seemed to be a light tug of Calvert-Lewin’s man bun during the Premier League clash at Old Trafford that finished in a Leeds win. The incident was flagged by VAR, with the Argentine defender dismissed and issued an automatic three-match suspension.
Only two days before the Chelsea-Leeds semi at Wembley, a regulatory commission acting on behalf of the FA produced written reasons as to why Martínez’s appeal was denied.
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There was an irony that it was Calvert-Lewin who was involved in another potential hair-pulling incident in a high-profile match, this time as the perpetrator. Viewers watched on as, midway through the first half, there seemed to be downward contact from Calvert-Lewin’s hand on Cucurella’s hair.
As the Leeds forward moved his hand away, the long, curly hair also flicked up in the same direction, implying some form of pull. Cucurella additionally reacted immediately by grabbing the back of his head, as though he had felt force on his hair or scalp.
The incident was not dealt with in real time by on-field referee Jarred Gillett but the match was paused so VAR official Paul Howard could review. Calvert-Lewin was cleared off wrongdoing, with the reason seemingly given that contact was from “the flat of the hand”—rather than a clenched fist—as relayed by TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher, who had real-time access to the VAR process and conversation.
Comparison With Lisandro Martínez, Failed Appeal
The comparison with the Martínez incident was an obvious one to make.
Interim Manchester United manager Michael Carrick called that decision at the time “one of the worst” he’s ever seen. The club lodged an appeal with the FA, claiming that Martínez was victim of wrongful dismissal and that the associated three-match ban was “excessive.”
That appeal was rejected on the basis that the presiding regulatory commission did not feel “with any confidence” that the “force exerted” by Martínez on Calvert-Lewin’s hair/scalp was “negligible.” Taken into account was the reaction of Calvert-Lewin, which “suggested that he had felt a certain amount of force exerted upon his hair/scalp.” As a result, the VAR interpretation of the incident as a hair pull was considered “reasonable” and therefore not an “obvious error.”
#MUNLEE – 54’ VAR OVERTURN
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After VAR review, the referee issued a red card to Martínez for violent conduct.
Referee announcement: “After review, Manchester United 6 is guilty of pulling his hair - violent conduct. Final decision is red card.”
It was the conclusion of that verdict against Martínez which is making Manchester United fans feel particularly sick and the wider soccer world questioning the consistency of officiating in England—a clear hair pull from Fulham’s Kenny Tete on Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League match in February also went completely unpunished.
The Martínez case effectively summarized that a hair pull, no matter how slight, is inherently bad and should be punished as such to erase it from of the sport: “In the wider interests of football ‘hair pulling’ ought not to be tolerated and should be discouraged through consistent punishment,” the FA panel argued.
But an apparent hair pull from Calvert-Lewin, even very minor, was not treated in the same way.
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