'Poor' - Former Premier League ref speaks out over Leeds United star's international blow
There was a major blow for a Leeds United star on Saturday night.
Leeds United midfielder Ethan Ampadu has been told he was subjected to ‘a poor decision’ that means he will miss Wales’ crucial World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia on Tuesday night.
The Whites star has become an integral part of Craig Bellamy’s squad throughout their attempts to qualify for a second successive World Cup finals after returning from a knee injury that ruled him out of his side’s first two Group J fixtures. Ampadu was handed the captain’s armband for Saturday’s visit Liechtenstein and led his side to a 1-0 win that has set Wales up for a winner-takes-all clash against North Macedonia.
However, the 25-year-old will miss the game after he was controversially handed a second yellow card of the qualifying stages for a foul despite appearing to have won the ball in a challenge in midfield.
Ampadu could not hide his disappointment over the decision as he spoke to BBC Wales Match of the Day after the game. He said: "I am very gutted. It's annoying because I don't think I touched the guy and I won the ball. We needed the win, got the win. We had to be patient. We had a lot of the ball and a lot of chances. You'd like to score more goals, but we got the win."
Former Wales defender Ashley Williams expressed his sympathy for Ampadu as he stressed he did not think the challenge was worthy of a free-kick - and former FIFA and Premier League referee Keith Hackett has also criticised the call as he also backed the Whites star.
He told Football Insider: “The action of Ethan Ampadu‘s opponent going to ground clearly deceived the referee. I really do believe that Ampadu played the ball and was not reckless, or even worthy of a free-kick. It’s a poor decision and, again, there is no right to appeal against a yellow card.”
Your next Leeds United read: Ethan Ampadu faces devastating Wales suspension after harsh yellow card