An EFL star found himself on the receiving end of a peculiar yellow card this week, sparking confusion among fans who were unaware of its existence.
Wycombe Wanderers secured a 1-0 victory over Bradford City in the semi-final of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Wednesday evening, with Matt Butcher’s injury-time goal sealing their spot in the final at Wembley on April 7 against Peterborough.
While Wycombe fans were understandably focused on their team’s achievement of reaching Wembley for the fourth time in the last decade, they were left scratching their heads over an incident that occurred just moments before Butcher’s decisive goal. In the 85th minute, Wycombe’s Luke Leahy was booked for a seemingly innocuous action during a throw-in.
As Leahy prepared to take the throw-in, he wiped the ball using a steward’s coat, leading to him being promptly shown a yellow card for his actions.
According to the rules, any material or garment used to wipe the ball before a throw-in is prohibited, as it could provide an unfair advantage to one team.
The EFL implemented this rule ahead of the current season, along with introducing a multi-ball system in all its competitions to expedite games and minimize time-wasting. Despite technically being the correct decision, Wycombe fans were left bewildered by the decision to caution Leahy.
“That’s a first; I didn’t know you could receive a card for that,” remarked one fan, while another confessed: “Luke Leahy getting a yellow card for cleaning the ball with a steward’s coat… That’s a first for me.”
Some fans expressed disbelief at the rule, with one stating, “I can’t believe Leahy was shown a yellow for that,” while another simply lamented, “The game has truly changed.”
However, there was relief among fans that Leahy and Wycombe wouldn’t suffer any consequences in the final because of the incident: “I’m just glad he won’t miss the final because that’s a joke of a card,” one fan remarked.
