Just when you hoped we wouldn’t have to spend all weekend talking about referees again, Neil Swarbrick decided to drop a clusterf*ck at the Etihad Stadium by sending off the wrong man.
After Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony was scythed down by West Brom’s Craig Dawson, Swarbrick somehow confused the offending player with Gareth McAuley – a man more than ten years his elder.
McAuley inexplicably saw red and, as he traipsed down the tunnel, Twitter reacted as you might expect…
Referees have sent off the wrong man three times in two seasons. They're all clowns. All of them without exception are awful at their job.
— Alex Shaw (@AlexShawTel) March 21, 2015
Technology is needed for moments like this sending off at Man City, game is stopped anyway so 4th official looks at the tv monitor job done.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) March 21, 2015
Ninety seconds into the first game of the weekend and we've already got another refereeing blunder to talk about. Joy of joys.
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) March 21, 2015