Vitor Matos Defends Marko Stamenic Following Red Card in Swansea’s Loss
Vitor Matos has come to the defense of Marko Stamenic after the Swansea City midfielder received a red card during the team’s match against Birmingham City. The incident occurred in the 26th minute when Stamenic was sent off for a heavy challenge on Ethan Laird.
Birmingham City capitalized on Stamenic’s exit, taking the lead through Jay Stansfield, who also scored the decisive goal after Swansea equalized in the second half.
Matos expressed his belief that Stamenic should not have been dismissed, arguing that he made contact with the ball rather than with Laird. “I cannot change what the referee decided,” the Swansea head coach stated. “I think what happened in that situation was that Marko touched the ball. He tackled the ball with the first foot, he tackled the ball with the second foot. There’s no contact between the two players, so then it’s the judgement of the ref if that’s a red or not. It’s up to him, not me.”
Stamenic now faces a three-match suspension due to this being the first sending-off of his career at Swansea. Birmingham’s boss, Chris Davies, described the challenge as “a poor challenge.”
Unless Swansea successfully appeals the decision, Stamenic will miss upcoming matches against West Brom, Middlesbrough, and Cardiff City after the international break. Matos commented on the overall refereeing during the match, noting, “I saw so many challenges worse than this in the last game. Some of these challenges end up with players injured. It’s just harsh when we have this challenge and then there’s a red card. It’s for the refs to judge and try to find an agreement on where the line is.”
The game at St Andrew’s was further disrupted in the second half when Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux reported that objects were being thrown from the crowd. Matos stated, “The ref brought over two lighters [to the fourth official]. It’s more than clear that it is not acceptable. Let’s see what happens. Of course, it’s not right.”
Despite the latest defeat, which marked Swansea’s fourth loss in five matches, Matos expressed confidence in his players. “What I am here to say is that with this group of players, with the effort they made and the character they have, we will come back,” he declared. “They will come back and we will go back to our standards.”
