{"id":169,"date":"2026-05-03T05:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T05:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/?p=169"},"modified":"2026-05-03T05:39:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T05:39:57","slug":"regis-le-bris-questions-application-of-hair-pull-rule-after-dan-ballard-sees-red","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/03\/regis-le-bris-questions-application-of-hair-pull-rule-after-dan-ballard-sees-red\/","title":{"rendered":"Regis Le Bris questions application of hair-pull rule after Dan Ballard sees red"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Regis Le Bris admitted Dan Ballard\u2019s red card for hair pulling was \u201chard to digest\u201d as Sunderland\u2019s hopes of European football next season were dented by a 1-1 draw at Wolves<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunderland led through Nordi Mukiele against already-relegated Wolves when referee Paul Tierney<\/a> dismissed Ballard, who was adjudged to have tugged the long braids of Tolu Arokodare in an aerial duel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sending off meant Sunderland had to play with 10 men for more than an hour and Wolves capitalised, ending a goal drought stretching back to mid-March when Santiago Bueno equalised in the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Bris\u2019 side remain 12th in the Premier League<\/a> and to rub salt into the wound, Ballard faces a three-match ban that will prematurely end his season for an offence that is deemed violent conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Le Bris said: \u201cWe understand the rule and I think Paul Tierney is a great referee but the execution of the rule is very hard to digest because I don\u2019t think it is intentional and violent conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be controversial, we are here to help the game, many people are watching the Premier League and we want to be clean in our behaviours, but football is football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a duel in the air and with a tall striker (who weighs) 100kg more or less, Ballard is massive as well, so the ball in the air 20 times in a game, many things can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the rule is the rule, when you have a striker with long hair, you will have problems because you can\u2019t defend. It was more or less the case. They executed the rule but it\u2019s a bit hard to digest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Keane<\/a> and Lisandro Martinez have also fallen foul of the rule this season \u2013 the former for pulling Arokodare\u2019s hair \u2013 with Everton<\/a> and Manchester United failing to have the red cards overturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Bris, whose side had conceded nine goals in their last two matches, will consider whether to launch an appeal but he was at a loss to explain how these types of offences can be avoided in future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Frenchman added: \u201cFirst of all, we\u2019ll see who is the striker. If he has long hair, we have a problem. If they play long, be careful and we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes a handball is the same, it\u2019s probably a grey area and with this rule, we are at that stage where you have to manage the rule to make it clean for different situations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolves were booed off at full-time as they remained rooted to the foot of the table, while Rob Edwards\u2019 decision to withdraw Hugo Bueno towards the end in place of Angel Gomes was unpopular with fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edwards, who revealed Bueno had not trained much this week because of a knee problem, said: \u201cI\u2019m very frustrated, we all are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand the situation at the moment. We\u2019ve been relegated, we\u2019re bottom of the league, we\u2019ve drawn a game against 10 men off the back of three defeats in a row, I\u2019m going to take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t concern me. We\u2019ve got three more games where we\u2019ve got to get more results and we can turn things around. It will be all the more rewarding when we are able to turn things around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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