Newcastle United fans exploded at referee Craig Pawson after Fabian Schar was sent off in the Premier League game against Southampton.
Eddie Howe’s side opened their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win against Southampton, but several refereeing controversies stole the spotlight in the harrowing affair.
Ben Brereton Diaz slammed into the defender’s back, who immediately turned and slammed his forehead into the Chilean’s face, drawing a red card.
Replays showed the contact between the pair was light, but it was enough to earn the defender a red card as tempers flared during the match.
But fans flocked to social media to attack the referee after a key player was sent off in the first game of the season.
Newcastle United fans rage at ‘corrupt’ Premier League after Fabian Schar’s red card
Newcastle are eyeing a move for a new centre-back this summer after four failed attempts to sign Crystal Palace star Marco Guehi, and the need has now become more pressing.
Schar will miss the next three games after seeing red, adding to the pressing problem in Howe’s squad.
But fans insist Schar should not have been sent off and criticized Brereton Diaz for his reaction when he fell to the ground on his face.
Alongside the striker, Pawson has also come under fire on social media with fans calling the decision “shocking” and the Premier League “corrupt”.