Tottenham to complain after Jayden Bogle escapes red card

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to lodge a formal complaint after Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle avoided punishment for a challenge on Mathys Tel. The incident, which occurred shortly before half-time during Leeds' victory over Spurs on Saturday, saw Bogle's studs make contact with Tel's left Achilles.

Referee John Brooks took no immediate action. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system subsequently reviewed the challenge for around four minutes. Despite the extended review, VAR concluded that the tackle did not meet the threshold for serious foul play, and no card was issued.

Call for Red Card

However, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has publicly stated that the challenge should have resulted in a red card. Mr Hackett, writing on X (formerly Twitter), emphasised the vulnerability of the Achilles area and the importance of player safety. "This challenge should frankly always be red carded," he stated.

Standard Sport understands that Tottenham plan to write to the refereeing body, Pro Ref, seeking an explanation for the decision. Mathys Tel was later seen wearing a protective boot after leaving Elland Road.

Confidence in VAR

Despite the controversy, Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi expressed his continued confidence in the VAR system. He stated that he had "big confidence in the referee" and that his team could not attribute the loss to officiating decisions. Mr De Zerbi added that he did not believe the outcome would change even if the referee had reviewed the pitchside monitor. "We have confidence, we have to keep our eyes on the performance where we can improve," he told reporters.