Martinez red card sparks scrutiny on non-football act interpretations

By Arturo Zapote-Lora | PR Football Writer

Lisandro Martinez's dismissal for pulling on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair during Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Leeds United has raised questions about how referees interpret non-football acts.

A non-football act is defined as a violent action unrelated to competing for the ball. Since its introduction in 1881, the violent conduct rule has evolved significantly. However, recent incidents involving hair-pulling have brought criticism from fans, pundits and players about the officiating.

In the case for Martinez, he was sent off after challenging the ball in the air that led Martinez to grab Calvert-Lewin's hair in the 56th minute. Following the match, interim manager Michael Carrick has called the decision “shocking” and stated Manchester United may appeal the decision.

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“We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking,” said Carrick in his post-match press conference.

This isn’t the first instance of a player being sent off for hair-pulling this season. Michael Keane was sent off in Everton’s 1-1 draw against Wolves for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair in the 83rd minute. Both instances show emphasis on zero tolerance for violent non-football acts. However, there are instances where a red card isn’t shown for an act like this.

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In Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the 24/25 season, David Brooks was shown a yellow card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. The act was initially deemed as a “reckless shirt pull” rather than a “violent conduct.” Following the game, however, PGMOL officials flagged the decision for an incorrect call from VAR. These inconsistent decisions in-game raise alarms on the officiating in the Premier League.

Many pundits have weighed in and questioned the sending off of Martinez during the match. Speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football show, Jamie Carragher discussed whether fans would deem the incident as a red card.

“He's trying to grab onto something and he's caught the back of his hair - it could've been his hair or anything,” Carragher said.

Photo by Sky Sports

Roy Keane on Sky Sports also expressed his concern with the decision stating, "I can see it from both sides and when you class it as violent conduct, it feels really harsh.”

Errors are a recurring theme when it comes to officiating in the Premier League. As of Gameweek 30 in March 2026, a study done by BBC Sport found that the number of mistakes on the pitch from VAR errors and match officiating has increased to a total of 54. The study compared it to the same time last year, which saw the number at 44 in total, showing the number of errors between seasons to increase by 10.