PGMO Concedes Ruben Dias Should Have Faced Red Card in Manchester City's Win Over Nottingham Forest

The PGMO has acknowledged that Manchester City defender Ruben Dias should have been issued a second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal, during the team's Premier League victory against Nottingham Forest. The incident occurred 18 seconds into the second half when Dias challenged Forest's Igor Jesus, an action deemed worthy of another yellow card given his prior booking for dissent in the first half. However, according to the rules, VAR cannot intervene in yellow card decisions, making it a subjective call by the on-field referee in the 2-1 win at the City Ground on December 27. Following the match, Forest lodged a complaint and met with PGMO officials to discuss the decision and several other contentious calls made by referee Rob Jones and other officials. Interestingly, Forest has accepted that Manchester City's winning goal, scored by Rayan Cherki, was legitimate, despite initial protests from manager Sean Dyche, who argued that Morgan Gibbs-White was fouled before Cherki's strike. Forest officials have since acknowledged that there was no foul on Gibbs-White in the build-up to the goal. Despite feeling that the outcome could have been different had Dias been sent off, Forest found the meeting with PGMO officials to be positive and productive, appreciating their openness in addressing the club's concerns.