1-1 against Uruguay: Thomas Tuchel repeatedly loses his composure – Sport

Dhe test match between England and Uruguay was a premiere for Sven Jablonski in three respects: for the first time, the German referee officiated a game in the prestigious football nation of England, and also, for the first time, an international match with Uruguay involving a non-European team. And of all places at Wembley in London. The Bremen native had never been on the pitch as a referee in this stadium before.

Jablonski, 35 years old, will likely remember the encounter – but also for a number of controversial decisions. These included two disputed goals, a serious foul and confusion over whether he had shown the same player a yellow card twice without sending him off.

The sporting events on Friday evening took a back seat at times: England’s returnee Ben White’s goal to make it 1-0 in the 81st minute, a late penalty taken by White, which led to Federico Valverde’s equalizer (90+4). There were repeated massive protests on both sides over Jablonski’s decisions. England’s national coach Thomas Tuchel, who repeatedly lost his composure and could hardly be calmed down, was the most upset. “It wasn’t a good performance at all over the entire season,” commented Tuchel with a frown at the press conference. He laconically described his German compatriot as having had a “used day”.

After a brief consultation with his assistant, Tuchel ran towards fourth official Benjamin Brand on the sidelines after the final whistle. Gesturing violently, he talked to Brand and held two fingers out to him – a reference to the irritation surrounding the supposed two yellow cards for the opponent Uruguay. For the English it seemed in the 70th minute as if Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte had received a yellow card for tripping up Cole Palmer – and eleven minutes later, after conceding a goal, a second one for complaining.

Accordingly, he should have been sent off with a yellow-red card, which didn’t happen. As an explanation, the TV broadcaster ITV referred in the live commentary to information from Brand from the sidelines that Jablonski had withdrawn the second warning against Ugarte. This news also reached the English national team. In fact, the situation was different: Jablonski had not punished Ugarte’s foul on Palmer with a warning, but had shown his teammate Ronald Araújo a yellow card. He criticized the whistle with his arms outstretched, which Jablonski – unmistakably according to the TV pictures – didn’t put up with. Adding to the general confusion was the fact that Ugarte’s foul could have resulted in a warning.

The displeasure of Tuchel and his team was particularly great because the English had to accept two substitutions due to injury and ultimately found the penalty to be “flattering” (Tuchel). England’s Ben White and Uruguay’s Facundo Pellistri each went to a half-high ball in the penalty area with their legs outstretched. While Pellistri played the ball, White was just too late and touched his opponent’s foot. Jablonski had a clear view, initially didn’t whistle – then, after the intervention of his video assistant (VAR) Sören Storks, decided on a penalty.

“I was surprised that the VAR suddenly intervened because I thought it wasn’t working at all,” said Tuchel sarcastically. From his point of view, Storks should have intervened twice before – in duels against Noni Madueke and Phil Foden. In the 50th minute, Araújo slid head-on into Foden with great dynamism and a stretched foot. The defender got to the ball first, but then hit his opponent’s left ankle in a dangerous manner. Jablonski considered the action to be in accordance with the rules, Storks saw no clear error in it.

The team overlooked the fact that Araújo could only get to the ball by accepting a dangerous collision – a red card would have been mandatory. Concerned for his players, Tuchel angrily turned to colleague Marcelo Bielsa. The veteran coach had told him by phone months ago that he would take the game “very, very seriously” and play with the best possible eleven, Tuchel reported afterwards.

Jablonski’s generous line proves to be partially suitable for this game

Foden had to be replaced injured, as did teammate Madueke, who left the stadium limping with a knee brace. Both will probably miss the friendly against Japan on Tuesday and may also miss their clubs – Foden at Manchester City, Madueke at Arsenal. Madueke had already twisted his knee in the first half after a collision with Rodrigo Aguirre. As he tried to finish in the penalty area, Aguirre cleared him from the side. Although he blocked the ball with his heel, his upper body hit Madueke, who fell backwards to the ground. Jablonski again recognized no offense and did not give a penalty. Uruguay, on the other hand, felt disadvantaged when England opened the scoring when Adam Wharton’s uncompromising block from a corner went unpunished.

All of these game situations had one thing in common: Jablonski always let the game continue. This corresponded to his generous management from the start, but this turned out to be only moderately appropriate for this game. Although there were several opportunities to send clear signals with yellow cards for tactical fouls and hard tackles, he chose not to do so – and increasingly lost control of the game. Complicating matters was an early injury to Uruguay’s Joaquín Piquerez, who had to be carried away on a stretcher. Piquerez’s ankle was twisted in the duel under Madueke’s body; But the Englishman could not be blamed.

For Jablonski, the game at Wembley should be an educational experience. He has earned a considerable reputation in the Bundesliga and is considered a potential top referee from a German perspective. This season he was used in the Champions League for the first time. At the international level, however, authority and clear boundaries are essential for referees – especially for even less established referees. Jablonski’s appearance on Friday also fit into the ongoing debate about the German refereeing team, which is looking for a new model referee after the resignation of Felix Brych.

At least the consequences of Jablonski’s appearance on Friday were limited: it was just a test match.