INTERVIEWS The derby between Anderlecht and Union Saint-Gilloise was marked by a major turning point: the ejection of Killian Sardella following a VAR review. Just as Anderlecht had narrowed the deficit (1-2), a confrontation arose between Sardella and Guilherme. The Anderlecht defender lightly bumped his forehead against the Union player, who fell to the ground with a lot of theatre.
Referee Jasper Vergoote initially showed both players a yellow card, but the VAR deemed that punishment insufficient and sent him back to the screen. After reviewing the footage, the decision was made: red card. Anderlecht had to finish the half with ten players.
At the final whistle, goalkeeper Colin Coosemans does not hide his frustration. In his view, the video review was unnecessary. “The chance to get back into the game was taken away from us. It wasn't much. They bump into each other, one falls, and apparently whoever falls first wins.” Coosemans even says he spoke with Christian Burgess to make it clear to the referee that they just wanted to keep playing. But the VAR decided otherwise. The goalkeeper goes further and criticizes an overly “enthusiastic” VAR who, in his words, “wanted to feel more important than the game.”
Source: © Internal source
