On Monday evening during the group stage match between Germany and Portugal, Portugese defender Pepe was sent off in the first half with a red card after head-butting German forward Thomas Müller.
The chain of events was capped off after Müller broke in near the box and was taken down by a claw to the face. Unimpressed by the embellishment from Müller, Pepe walked over to the fallen German and gave him a light knock to the head. This caused Muller to launch himself back to his feet and go nose-to-nose with Pepe before the referee intervened, pulling out the red card in the process and directing Pepe off the pitch.
The question is; Was Pepe’s red card merited?
On Pepe’s reputation alone, he won’t receive the benefit of the doubt. In April of 2009, Pepe received a 10-game suspension after kicking Getafe FC’s Javier Casquero twice, once in the shin and once in the back, before pushing his head into the turf and stomping on it. To make matters worse, he struck another opposing player in a scrum that followed the incident.
In March of 2012, Pepe was involved in another major confrontation when he confronted José Luis Paradas Romero, the official of the match that day, and accused Romero of ripping off Real Madrid — Real Madrid had finished the game with nine players, limiting their chances and leading the game to finish with a 1-1 draw. The fee for his actions was a two-game suspension.
On a lesser note, Pepe was also involved in an altercation with a teammate during practice back in 2008. He fought with Javier Balboa but played in the next game
On the action of the head-butt alone, that will always be carded and red is the right color to use. Embellishment happens in soccer, more often than not, and the right course of action is to walk away. Maybe mention it to the referee or turn around and laugh at the player for resorting to such shenanigans. To walk up to the player and deliver a head-butt, regardless of the power and forced used, showed a lack of composure.
Given Pepe’s resume and the fact that a retaliation attack is always frowned upon, Pepe’s red card was well deserved.
What is interesting now is how this will affect the USA squad. Portugal’s next round robin match-up is against the USA team and they’ll face them without the services of Pepe. Furthermore, a loss and a -4 goal differential to cap off the tournament, Portugal have placed themselves in a tough situation. One that could see them on the outside looking in.
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