VEDAT MURIQI was sent off after VAR spotted him making an “ugly gesture” towards an opponent.
The RCD Mallorca star was caught in a confrontation against Jaime Mata during the clash against Las Palmas.
Muriqi, 30, was denied a goal in the 84th minute by a simple save from Jasper Cillessen.
As his tame effort was saved, he and Mata exchanged words, but then the striker made a gesture with his hand towards his opponent.
The game was then halted for a VAR check as the referee was sent to the monitor to review the incident.
Upon watching, the decision was made to send off the Kosovo international with a second yellow card.
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Muriqi has apologised for the moment and insisted his behaviour was “not appropriate”.
He wrote: “I want to apologise with my heart in my hand for my expulsion in today’s game.
“I know that my behaviour was not appropriate and I deeply feel the lack of respect towards my professional partner, Jaime Mata, and I regret that the fans have witnessed such an ugly gesture on my part.
“Despite what happened, I am very happy with the team’s victory.
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“Each victory is a reflection of everyone’s effort and work, and it fills me with pride to see how we fight together on the field.”
The red card came with the scores tied at 2-2, but despite being down to ten men, Mallorca found a winner.
The goal came after a lengthy delay after Muriqi’s expulsion due to a separate incident in the build-up.
This meant that an indirect freekick was given to Mallorca despite the striker’s exit.
Johan Mojica netted the winning goal in the 92nd minute to send his side 6th in LaLiga.
Mallorca manager Jagoba Arrasate blasted the decision to send off Muriqi.
He said: “I’ve never seen anything like it before.
“These are routine actions in football.
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“It’s excessive if we start penalizing such situations; things are getting a bit out of hand as it is.”
Muriqi now faces a suspension of at least one match, which would rule him out of the game against Valencia on Friday.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
