Daniel Farke strongly believes that he should not have received a red card following Leeds United’s defeat to Manchester City on Saturday and insists the decision should be overturned. He was dismissed after approaching referee Peter Bankes post-match, frustrated that added time had not been extended despite City’s time-wasting.
Leeds may consider appealing the decision. However, it appears he will still be in the dugout for the upcoming clash with Sunderland, as the Football Association had not contacted the club by 2 PM on Monday. If the suspension is upheld, it would carry over to Sunday’s FA Cup match against his former club, Norwich City.
Farke argued that during extra time, the fourth official had indicated that time would be added on, given that City delayed the restart multiple times and Rayan Ait-Nouri received a booking for time-wasting. When Bankes blew the whistle just seconds after the six minutes had passed, Farke felt aggrieved.
He emphasized that he believes the red card was unwarranted. Speaking on Monday, Farke stated, “I’m a very self-critical person. When I make a mistake, I admit it and apologize. As a coach, I strive to be a role model. However, in this case, I truly feel it shouldn’t have been a red card. That is my honest belief.”
He continued, “There will always be disagreements in football. During the match, several decisions were made that frustrated me, particularly regarding the six minutes added time. I simply wanted a brief, calm moment with the referee to understand why he did not add at least 30 seconds or a minute after issuing a yellow card for time-wasting.”
Farke clarified that he did not use any foul language or make any aggressive gestures. “I jogged over to ask him about the yellow card. But as soon as I approached, he displayed the red card. He did not engage with me, simply raised the card in a way that felt humiliating, as if to say, ‘This person isn’t worth my time.’”
Farke observed that even the assistant referees appeared taken aback by the red card and attempted to speak with him afterward.
He added, “This is not how we should interact. I have great respect for referees, and I would not have been in this profession for nearly 20 years if I had shown a red card without reason. I’ve learned my lesson; I will avoid jogging onto the pitch in the future. I believe the referee misinterpreted my actions. Nevertheless, it should never have resulted in a red card.”