An explanation has now emerged after Manuel Ugarte avoided a red card against England at Wembley on Friday night, despite the fact referee Sven Jablonski appeared to show the Uruguay midfielder two yellow cards.
Ugarte appeared to be shown his first yellow card of the night in the 70th minute following a foul on the lively Cole Palmer. The Manchester United star then received a second yellow card in the final 10 minutes, seemingly for dissent.
The incident left ITV commentators Sam Matterface and Lee Dixon, plus millions of fans watching at home, perplexed. It appeared that German ref Jablonski had just experienced his own Graham Poll moment by showing an international footballer two yellow cards without sending him off. Watch the footage of Ugarte’s yellow cards below:
Per The Mirror, Matterface said shortly afterwards: "The second yellow apparently, according to the fourth official, was rescinded. Which I don't think you can do, not yet... maybe the laws of the game have changed a little bit early. We might just be overlooking a bit of an error.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel at a press conference. Related
England 1-1 Uruguay: Tuchel Told One Man ‘Shouldn’t Be Anywhere Near’ World Cup
England fans have torn into the 35-year-old midfielder following his uninspiring display against Uruguay.
Real Reason Ugarte Avoided Red Card vs England
Manuel Ugarte vs England
Manuel Ugarte vs England
However, this doesn’t appear to be the case. Ugarte’s second yellow card stands, according to Opta’s stats. Flashscore list Ugarte as being booked in the 81st minute for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’, meaning his second yellow card was not rescinded after all.
However, BBC Sport highlight that Ugarte’s first yellow card was in fact shown to Jose Gimenez - not for the foul, which was clearly committed by Ugarte, but also for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ as he was seen questioning the match official at the time the yellow was shown.
So, to clarify: Ugarte was not booked in the 70th minute. That yellow card was shown to Gimenez instead.
However, Ugarte was shown a yellow card in the 81st minute, despite incorrect suggestions that particular booking had been rescinded.
England Denied Victory at Wembley
Federico Valverde vs England
Federico Valverde vs England
Following a dull first half at Wembley, things livened up in the second half after Ben White’s introduction with 20 minutes left to play.
Booed by the home crowd after entering the fray, following his refusal to be selected under previous England management, the Arsenal defender broke the deadlock with a close-range tap-in with 10 minutes remaining.
However, it was White who conceded a last-gasp penalty which allowed the in-form Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde - one of the early contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award - to equalise from the penalty spot.
England boss Thomas Tuchel described the officials as having a “bad day at the office” after the match. As well as the Ugarte confusion, Tuchel was left furious after Ronald Araujo escaped punishment for a heavy challenge on Phil Foden.