German referee Daniel Siebert was jeered off the pitch at half-time at San Siro, and not just because of the red card and penalty, as his general approach to Milan vs. Chelsea angered everyone.
The Champions League showdown was ruined after 18 minutes when Fikayo Tomori had a hand on Mason Mount’s shoulder twice, considered both a penalty and crucially also a straight red card for denying a clear scoring opportunity.
Siebert generally seemed to lose control of what was by no means a violent match.
Official UEFA statistics show that in the first half there was a grand total of 17 fouls committed by the teams, seven by Milan and 10 by Chelsea.
Yet he still dished out one red card and five yellow – three for Milan, two for Chelsea.
With six cards, it was more that had been dished out in the first half of any Champions League match this season in its opening 45 minutes.
While by the absolute letter of the law, the red card is a consequence of the penalty being on a ‘clear scoring opportunity,’ the referee could just as easily have used common sense in only giving a yellow card, as the challenge itself was so timid.