Gumienny criticises Iran match officiating after Trossard tackle

The Belgian Red Devils suffered another disappointing result against Iran, with officiating coming under renewed scrutiny after a controversial tackle on Leandro Trossard. Within the opening three minutes, Romelu Lukaku received a yellow card for a collision with the opposing goalkeeper.

Serge Gumienny, a former Pro League referee, questioned the consistency of the match officials. He stated: "If you give a yellow card to Lukaku in the third minute, you must be consistent." Gumienny added that the tackle on Trossard was far more serious, describing it as at least yellow and possibly red. "We see physical evidence: his sock is torn, there are gashes on his calf. This is about endangering a player's physical integrity," he said.

The former official also criticised the VAR for failing to intervene. "When you see a phase like this, you wonder where the VAR is. This was an obvious foul that should have been punished more severely," Gumienny concluded.

Nathan Ngoy's red card also sparked debate. Mehdi Taremi played the ball cleanly, but Thierry Henry argued the exclusion was excessive. "Ngoy was playing the ball, not the man. Intention matters in these situations," Henry said. "The referee seemed to judge the outcome rather than the action itself. This was a physical, high-intensity match where aggression without malice is part of the battle." The red card threshold appeared too low in this context,