Surfref
PREMIER
Had the CR been positioned further to his left and back slightly he would have had a wider field of view and probably seen the three punches. Good catch by the AR. The whole setup for the free kick took way too long and was nonchalant. Those two players started pushing each other a good minute before the Ref blew the whistle for the free kick. The referee should place the ball, move the wall, run to a position where he can see the whole play going into the goal area and blow the whistle. Usually the quicker play gets going the less chance of excess crap happening. Those two players had far too much time to piss each other off. Still no excuse for punching an opponent. Striking x3 is always a straight red card!