Jamie O’Hara was provoked into an angry tirade about the ‘stupid’ rule which led to Hugo Ekitike’s dismissal in Liverpool’s win over Southampton on Tuesday night, but he still had little sympathy for the player.
The Frenchman came off the bench to net a late winner for the Reds, only to receive a second yellow card for removing his shirt in celebrating the goal, which Chris Sutton described as an act of ‘sheer stupidity‘ and which also visibly annoyed Jeremie Frimpong.
IFAB’s Laws of the Game cite four reasons as to why players taking off their shirt for goal celebrations are punished with a yellow card: to prevent time-wasting, to prevent a provocative gesture being made towards oppositon team/fans, to avoid political messages, and to maintain sponsors’ visibility.
O’Hara vents over ‘stupid’ yellow card rule
O’Hara appeared on Sky Sports to discuss the topic after Ekitike’s dismissal last night, and the former Spurs midfielder let rip over the reasons for the rule being in place.
He raged: “What a load of rubbish that is. What do you mean time-wasting? You add [the time] on at the end of the game regardless; there’s always a celebration of some sort.
We have VAR checking most goals, so by the time he gets his shirt on, VAR probably would’ve checked it anyway. I’m not having that.”
O’Hara added: “Taking your shirt off isn’t provocative or winding people up. It’s a euphoric moment and players seem to do it…but they’ve got an under-armour on! What’s the point?…[The rule] is just stupid.”
“It’s a load of rubbish. Come on, how many sponsorships do you see everywhere? We all know who sponsors the shirt; we’re watching the games.”
However, he was still critical of Ekitike over the manner in which the striker received his second yellow card against Southampton, saying: “You know the rules. Unless the rule changes, you’re getting booked, so it’s ridiculous from him really. He’s cost the team and should get a fine. The players should fine him.”
Does the rule need to be revised?
O’Hara is right to point out the flaws of the ruling which prompts a yellow card for players taking their shirt off, especially when far more sinister offences can often receive the same punishment or even go without sanction at all.
That said, Ekitike ought to have a greater presence of mind after scoring his late winner and refrained from celebrating in the manner that he did, which wasn’t provocative or time-wasting by any means.
Unfortunately for him and Liverpool, he’s now suspended for the Premier League clash away to Crystal Palace on Saturday, depriving Arne Slot of his top scorer for what had already promised to be a thoroughly difficult fixture at Selhurst Park.
While it’s too late to rectify that particular situation, O’Hara’s comments pose the question as to whether the ruling should be revised. Red cards are intended for dangerous or blatantly tactical fouls, not for penalising slightly excessive celebrations (if the Frenchman’s even fell into that category).
That’s rich coming from one of the biggest k**bheads in football in O’hara.
Absolutely. It’s a stupid rule. A yellow card is for a serious infringement such as a dangerous tackle or deliberate handball. Nothing dangerous about removing one’s shirt temporarily! And to have such an infringement resulting in a sending-off is downright crazy. The punishment must fit the crime!
Can’t say one knows Mr O’Hara tbh, but his opinion over fining Ekitike is rather harsh.
There was no malice in what Hugo did, it’s just his euphoria allowed him to lose his professional perspective.
The result is he’s let his teammates down.
Rumours of a heavy fine have now been put to bed.
If clubs/F.A. start fining for the above, there’ll be calls for far greater fines for the tougher stuff that goes on.
The balance of any deterrent to unsporting behaviour is something we should talk about, but context is often key.
Arne’s revealed there has been no fine.
Hugo’s apologised enough and future matches should disclose whether he’s a smart lad who learns from his mistakes.
LFC will have done their homework on him, as they always do.