After the game, Fonseca blasted the official for what he considered to be an incredibly harsh dismissal of his young star, who he felt was fouled by Tabibou initially in the build-up to the kick. The Portuguese coach said of the red card: “For me, it was very harsh, very harsh. There was a foul before which was very clear. The Nantes player did not intend to play the ball, he intended to block Endrick.“
He continued to point to the targeting the teenager has received, with the forward facing aggressive defending, which Fonseca believes crosses a line. “The second thing I want to say is that this is the third match where the opponents have started the game with a lot of aggression towards Endrick,” he said. “I thought these things were a thing of the past, but the intention was clear.
“They really intended to intimidate Endrick. The referees must protect the talent of a player like Endrick.”
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