Furlong sent off for ‘violent conduct’ v QPR after what assistants told referee
Darnell Furlong went from hero to zero as he was sent off in West Brom’s 1-0 Championship win over QPR on Saturday.
Furlong, 29, was shown a straight red card by Adam Herczeg after he was alleged to have elbowed QPR’s Koki Saito just minutes after Adam Armstrong’s match-winning penalty in the first half at The Hawthorns.
Tony Mowbray was close to the incident and was furious with the referee’s decision to send off the right-back, who’d scored a vital goal in the 1-1 draw at Leeds last weekend.
West Brom v QPR incident well-refereed by Herczeg
Replays of the incident have thus far proven inconclusive about whether or not Herczeg was correct to show a straight red card to Furlong in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
However, one thing that highlights have shown to former Premier League referee Keith Hackett is that Herczeg communicated well with his matchday officials before handing Furlong his marching orders for violent conduct.
“I have attempted to look at this again, and cameras have failed to catch the whole event with regard to the red card,” Hackett told West Brom News.
| Furlong’s 24/25 Championship stats | |
| Appearances | 35 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 6 |
| Red cards | 1 |
“Looking at the replays, the referee went through all the correct procedures by isolating the player and during that process, it appeared that he was receiving advice from either the assistant referee on that touchline or the fourth official.
“The incident must have been seen by them and the player sent off for violent conduct.
“The limited video available looks sufficient to leave no grounds for appeal by West Brom.”
Will West Brom appeal against Furlong’s red card v QPR?
Furlong faces a three-match ban for his sending off against QPR.
It depends on what Herczeg has put in his match report but it’s likely that the ex-QPR right-back was shown a straight red card for violent conduct against his former club.
Speaking after the tense 1-0 victory at The Hawthorns, Albion boss Mowbray said that the Black Country club will appeal the decision.
“It happened right in front of me. Darnell tried to block the guy, there was no elbow, but the lad tried to duck under his shoulder to avoid the block and caught his face on the top of Darnell’s arm,” Mowbray said after the game ended.
“I’m not sure any of the officials saw it. I would suggest it was really harsh and I’m sure we will look to appeal it.”
If West Brom’s appeal is unsuccessful, Furlong will be banned for matches against Burnley (11 March), Hull (15 March) and Norwich (29 March).