Carrick Condemns 'Appalling' Red Card for Martinez: 'One of the Most Egregious Decisions I've Witnessed'

Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has vehemently criticized the referee's decision to send off Lisandro Martinez, labeling it as 'one of the worst' refereeing calls he has ever seen. The incident occurred during Manchester United's 2-1 defeat to Leeds, with Martinez receiving a red card after a brief hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which was deemed a serious offense by the referee. The Argentine defender appeared perplexed as he left the pitch, and Carrick expressed his outrage at the severity of the punishment, arguing that the contact was unintentional and not aggressive. Carrick stated, 'It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off. The worst part is that the referee was sent to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It's shocking.' The decision has sparked controversy, with some pundits, including Jamie Carragher, sympathizing with Carrick's perspective, while others, like Gary Neville, believe that Martinez should have been more cautious given the current scrutiny surrounding hair pulling incidents in the Premier League.