Bradford City goalkeeper Harry Lewis avoids being given a red card after mistaking the rugby marking for the penalty area at Newport County.
The shot stopper was shown a yellow card after he thought the 22-yard rugby line marking for the penalty area and was seen handling the ball, leaving Newport players reeling at it not being a sending off.
Referee Sam Allinson realised that Lewis had misunderstood the venue’s rugby union pitch markings as his handling boundary. This is also the venue for the Dragons rugby union team.
Dragons were last there on Saturday the 4th of March, when they lost to Connacht from Ireland.
This is why you shouldn’t have rugby markings on a football pitch 🤣🤣
pic.twitter.com/jB7gx7gFYm— The72 – We Love the #EFL (@_The72) March 11, 2023
21′ YELLOW 🟨
Absolutely unbelievable. Bradford keeper Harry Lewis catches a long ball miles out of his goal and only gets a yellow for it.
🧡0-0🐔
— Newport County AFC 🧡🖤 (@NewportCounty) March 11, 2023
Graham Coughlan and Mark Hughes gave their view of the referee’s decision to hand a yellow to the keeper in the 1-1 draw.
Bradford sit 6th in League Two with 59 points from 35 games, Newport are 18th with 39 points from 35 played.
Coughlan, Newport boss, said: “I do have a degree of sympathy with the goalkeeper and if he’s made an error, it’s an error and it’s a basic and it’s an honest error.
“But where I do draw the line is, if our players made an honest error we’d be punished.
“Honest errors don’t really count in the laws of the game so in the laws of the game it’s pretty plain and pretty simple, pretty basic.”
He added: “Why the laws of the game were not applied, I will never, never know… we can’t pick and choose when we apply the letter of the law.”
Hughes said to the South Wales Argus: “He just thought the line was white.
“I think it’s supposed to be blue or green, but the rain had washed it away.
“I think the referee displayed common sense. He understood that it wasn’t intentional.
“Harry genuinely thought he was in the penalty area. It wasn’t deliberate and I think the referee got it right.”
This is what social media users said as the Bradford goalkeeper avoids a red card after mistaking the rugby marking for the penalty area at Newport…
@Ashley_J_Healey: Most unbelievable thing I have ever seen in football. Red card all day long. Referee is atrocious.
@ChrisEddy_7: In fairness it is a rugby pitch 🤷🏻♂️ also those lines are painted green 👀
@alexwoody348: Newport fans saying it was voted best pitch in league 2?
@Ohhhyabeauty_19: Oh ffs 🤦♂️😂
@CardiffRFCfan: Goal keeper has had a nightmare here at Dave parade 😂
@SfcBxn: Rugby pitches on a football pitch is a bit mad and everything but how tf r u that stupid man 😭😭😭
@MartyWilliams63: I mean, It’s football markings on a rugby pitch if anything
@ben2304: I’m a massive City fan. And who isn’t a Lewis fan but isn’t a keeper meant to know his box? On any view this is embarrassing. Lines or not. #bcafc
@Nathan_7788: Unreal refs in this league 😂😂
@Stevendwcotton: Pahaha the officials in this country are mudded top to bottom
@kerry_jowitt: Fuck off 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@86gjj: That’s should still be a red!
@_ApolloF1: Never seen such a biased referee in my life, any other team would be a red card
@mellonista2022: Biggest shithouses of the day, the Newport lads there continuing to insist on a red after the Bradford keeper was booked
@StadiumPortrait: No sympathy. Clearly the ref looked at player reaction here. Those green lines looked nearly the same colour as the white from where we were sat. A very poor rugby ground with football being played on it!
@crackpot1981: Appalling from Newport that. Lines shouldn’t be visible.
@Michael20897061: That’s unreal
@oliver_OJG: Rugby lines shouldn’t be there, how hard is it to remove them before a game??
@dianne51973: Thank heavens it was only a yellow card
@Murtini2023: I genuinely think this is a mistake by the ‘keeper. Major credit to the ref for only giving a yellow card.
@ChrisEddy_7: That’s literally the worst decision I’ve ever seen a ref give in a game live
@adam_major1: It’s a yellow. Hasn’t denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. Yellow card like any other deliberate (non dogso) handball would be.
@newensgtfc: Absolutely Superb
@Calvey94: No way is this a red card. If Lewis misses this there’s no way this is a clear goalscoring chance as there’s every chance Stubbs gets there and clears the ball #bcafc
@baylee_bcafc: Harry Lewis he does what he wants. #bcafc
@Creber_: Good common sense refereeing
@sm_carl: It wasn’t a clear goal scoring opportunity so a yellow card was the correct decision. No sympathy from the referee was required.
@GrahamMt86: good decision with common sense, empower the refs to do it and also get rid of others sports lines properly… dont want pitches looking old school gym floors with so many lines you can’t tell what you’re doing
@Addybak: No benefit of the doubt about it. It was not a goalscoring opportunity and therefore no red card. As simple as that.
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