Tottenham Hotspur consider appeal for Son Heung Min’s red card
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino hinted the club may appeal against Son Heung Min's red card following the horrific injury suffered by Everton's Andre Gomes in the 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Pochettino - whose side were denied an English Premier League win with a late stoppage-time equaliser from Cenk Tosun - blamed VAR for the red card as Son had been initially just booked.
Gomes' injury - a fracture dislocation to his right ankle - occurred as his momentum from Son's trip saw him crash into Spurs' Serge Aurier.
Pochettino expressed his sorrow for Gomes, but said a visibly distressed Son had not intended to provoke such an injury.
"It was clear it was never the intention of Son to create the problem that happened afterwards," the Argentine said.
"It is unbelievable to see a red card. The decision of the referee was a yellow card, but the VAR changed the decision.
"It is the latest example of it being not clear. VAR needs to check if it was a bad tackle from Son and judge the action, not what happened after.
"I don't know what will happen now (in terms of an appeal). The club will see if it is possible."
The EPL issued a statement to clarify why the card had been upgraded, in which it said: "The red card for Son was for endangering the safety of a player which happened as a consequence of his initial challenge."
However, Arsenal legend Martin Keown and former Everton midfielder Kevin Kilbane felt the red card was harsh.
"I don't agree with the red card," Kilbane said on BBC's Match of the Day 2.
"Martin Atkinson's initial instinct was a yellow card and that was the correct decision. It came after the trip from Son.
"That statement says that any challenge made on the pitch, if a player slips on the back of it and gets a serious injury, that will be a red card and I don't agree with that."
Added Keown: "I don't think it was called for. It was one of those freak accidents once you see it in its entirety."
Pochettino said he led the warnings about chaos if VAR were introduced and poorly applied, and thinks English football is paying the price.
"I was the first or only coach in the EPL who was against the VAR," he said.
"It is creating a big, big mess. For me, I love that the referee is the boss on the pitch."
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said that he has changed his mind about the technology and no longer wants it.
"I defended #VAR at the start as I felt the process needed to be given a chance," he wrote on Twitter.
"I argued with people who were set against it and I really wanted it to take the game forward. But we're now talking about it more than we ever did about officials and decisions, that can't be right.
"I'm actually at the stage where I don't want VAR."
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