Football Apr 03, 2026

Manuel Ugarte shown two yellows but no red? 'Ref made it up as he went along' says Ian Wright

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Manuel Ugarte shown two yellows but no red? 'Ref made it up as he went along' says Ian Wright

Manuel Ugarte was booked twice but wasn't sent off in England's 1-1 draw with Uruguay with Ian Wright claiming the referee "made it up as he went along" on a controversial night of decision making from the officials.

The Uruguayan was yellow carded for a foul on Cole Palmer on 71 minutes before being booked again 10 minutes later for dissent after Ben White's opening goal.

A red card should have be shown but the German referee Sven Jablonski kept the card in his pocket.

England defender Harry Maguire said of the incident: "We've been told Ugarte was shown two yellow cards and the second one was rescinded, which is new one on us. Now we've been told the first of those yellow cards for Ugarte was actually for [Jose Maria] Gimenez. So rather than two yellow cards, Ugarte got no yellow cards."

Speaking on ITV, former England striker Wright said: "They are making it up as they go along, like we didn't see what we saw. The challenge on Palmer was Ugarte and then it looked like he got done for dissent as well."

Ben White was booed by England fans after scoring and then gave away a penalty in the 1-1 draw.

Thomas Tuchel was left frustrated with the referees performance after VAR failed to intervene for a reckless challenge on Phil Foden by Ronald Araújo before VAR then stepped in to award Uruguay a penalty in stoppage time for a foul by White.

"I didn't think it was a good performance at all," Tuchel said of the referee.

"There were debates a player got two yellows in a match but not sent off. A bad day at the office [for the ref]."

"It's a very soft penalty. Of course there is contact but it's so obvious what the striker is trying to do.

"To overturn the decision when the ref made it clear he saw it.

"I was surprised the VAR was in place - I thought it wasn't working. The tackle on Foden not even checked. The tackle on Noni not checked. Then suddenly this one is checked."

Tuchel speaking about how England's fringe players fared in the 1-1 draw:

"I liked the positivity, the attitude, the performance.

"Everyone was always ready to adapt to the questions asked by us. It was a very tactical game.

"In the moment we were very good we didn't get the goal to get a bit more freedom in our game. The boost was missing but we kept trying.

"I learned a lot. It was a tough opponent. You learn a lot against the details.

"You play against Ugarte and Valverde and you see the level.

"We needed this kind of test. I'm happy we did it the way we did it."

England host Japan in another friendly at Wembley on Tuesday; kick-off 7.45pm.

That will be the final chance for Thomas Tuchel to look at his players on the international stage before he announces his World Cup squad at the end of the season.

England then have World Cup warm-up matches with New Zealand and Costa Rica before their tournament opener against Croatia on June 17.

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Man Utd transfers: Lewis Hall, Iliman Ndiaye and Yan Diomande emerge as targets as summer plans revealed

Man Utd transfers: Lewis Hall, Iliman Ndiaye and Yan Diomande emerge as targets as summer plans revealed

Lewis Hall, Yan Diomande and Iliman Ndiaye are among the names Manchester United are considering as they look to strengthen ahead of a likely return t...

Paul Merson: Arsenal will still win the Premier League despite Carabao Cup final loss to Man City - but it's the only trophy they will win

Paul Merson: Arsenal will still win the Premier League despite Carabao Cup final loss to Man City - but it's the only trophy they will win

Your Site' Paul Merson believes Arsenal will still win the Premier League this season despite their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City - but...

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor says women's game needs more respect after VAR controversy in Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor says women's game needs more respect after VAR controversy in Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says the women's game needs more respect in terms of officiating after a VAR decision went against her side in thei...

England: Ben White and Harvey Barnes called into Thomas Tuchel's squad for Uruguay and Japan friendlies

England: Ben White and Harvey Barnes called into Thomas Tuchel's squad for Uruguay and Japan friendlies

Ben White has received his first England call-up since November 2022 after replacing the injured Jarell Quansah in Thomas Tuchel's squad to face Urugu...

EFL play-offs 2026: Schedule, fixtures and Wembley finals for Championship, League One and League Two

EFL play-offs 2026: Schedule, fixtures and Wembley finals for Championship, League One and League Two

The EFL have confirmed the dates for the 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two play-offs.All three divisions' regular seasons will c...

How Champions League could see SEVEN English teams qualify next season and as many as 11 play in Europe

How Champions League could see SEVEN English teams qualify next season and as many as 11 play in Europe

It's been a tough time for English teams in the Champions League with four of the Premier League's six representatives dumped out of the competition i...