One Referee JOHN BROOKS
The 5 Incidents 😱😡
1. Liam Delap elbow on Djed Spence (Chelsea vs Spurs) – Brooks was VAR. Delap caught Spence in the face with an elbow (looked like violent conduct / no attempt to play the ball). Only a yellow was given. Spence was injured (later reported broken jaw). it was a clear red.
2. Xavi Simons challenge on Van Dijk (Spurs vs Liverpool, Dec 2025) – Brooks initially gave yellow, then upgraded to red after VAR sent him to the monitor. Studs high on the calf/Achilles. it wasn’t reckless enough for a straight red / 3 game ban.
3. Cristian Romero red card (same Spurs vs Liverpool game) – Brooks missed (or didn’t award) a clear push in the back by Hugo Ekitike on Romero he was booked for dissent, then later sent off for a second yellow (kick-out at Konaté). Frank publicly said if Brooks had done his job on the first incident, the red wouldn’t have happened.
4.Bissouma sent off by Brooks v Luton 2nd yellow for a dive.
5. Jayden Bogle challenge on Mathys Tel (Leeds 1-0 Spurs, today – 7 Nov 2026) – Bogle stepped on/raked Tel’s ankle/Achilles with studs. Brooks gave a foul but no card at all. VAR reviewed for several minutes but did not send Brooks to the monitor and confirmed “no red card” (called it reckless but not a sending-off). Tel was forced off injured. Spurs are complaining to Pro Ref. Fans and ex-refs (including Mike Dean and Darren Cann) have called it a red / serious foul play, especially compared with similar challenges that have been reds (including the Simons one Brooks himself gave).
Brooks’ recent Spurs record (last ~14 games) has been heavily one-sided on cards according to fan tracking: Spurs far more yellows and reds
Same referee. Same questions about consistency. #COYS
John Brooks, who didn't see Ekitike's push on Romero as a foul, booked him for protesting, then booked him again and sent him off in a game where he didn't commit a single foul
Who was quick to send off Xavi Simons for the tackle on Van Dijk
Who didn't think Delap breaking Spence's jaw was a red
And who didn't think Palmer hitting Fernandes in the head was a red, or Rogers' ridiculous challange on Gallagher...
Will ref Spurs away to dirty Leeds this weekend
What could possibly go wrong😂
He was also the VAR who upheld the decision to rule out the Muani goal vs Arsenal for the "push" on Gabriel
Thanks @prorefofficial
🚨Roberto De Zerbi on Mathys Tel’s injury after Jayden Bogle’s challenge during Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Leeds:
🗣️ Roberto De Zerbi: “I was on the touchline when it happened, and immediately I knew something was wrong with Mathys.
He had the ball, Bogle came across him, and Mathys tried to move away from the challenge.
Then Bogle caught him heavily on the back of the lower leg.
You could see the force of the contact.
Mathys went straight down, and the expression on his face told me everything.
I turned to my assistant and said, “Did you see that?”
He said, “Yes, Roberto. That is a terrible challenge.”
I looked at him and said, “Then why is the referee doing nothing?”
That was the part I couldn’t understand.
My player was lying on the pitch in obvious pain, and the referee was just standing there as if nothing had happened.
I called Pedro Porro over.
I said, “Pedro, go and check on Mathys. I need to know if he can continue.”
Pedro came back and told me, “He’s really struggling. He doesn’t look okay.”
At that moment, I was furious.
This wasn’t Mathys looking for a free kick.
This wasn’t a player trying to waste time.
He had genuinely been caught and was clearly hurt.
I looked towards the officials and thought, “How are you not seeing this?”
Then VAR gets involved.
I thought, finally, someone is going to look properly at the incident.
They have the replay.
They have different angles.
They have time to analyse the contact.
And somehow, after all of that, nothing changes.
That is what makes me angry.
You can make a mistake during a match. I understand that.
But when you have VAR and the opportunity to correct something, you have to use it properly.
Mathys couldn’t continue.
He had to leave the pitch injured.
And we are still supposed to accept that there was nothing serious enough to punish?
I don’t understand that.
Football is physical, yes.
But physical does not mean you can challenge a player recklessly and then simply walk away because the referee doesn’t want to make a decision.
My assistant looked at me and said, “Roberto, they aren’t going to give anything.”
I said, “That’s exactly the problem.”
Because today it is Mathys.
Tomorrow it could be another player.
We talk so much about protecting footballers, but protecting them means something when these moments actually happen.
I don’t want to hear that the game was intense or that the referee had a difficult angle.
They had the technology.
They had the replay.
They had the time.
And Mathys still left the pitch injured.
For me, that is unacceptable.
I can accept losing a football match.
What I cannot accept is losing a player to an incident that I believe should have been dealt with properly.
For me, the officials failed Mathys today”.
🚨 Alan Shearer on Bogle escaping a card while Pedro Porro was booked:
“Run it again. Forget the ball for a moment. Watch what happens to the player’s legs.
“The first contact catches him at the back of the ankle. Then the other leg comes across him. He’s trying to get away from one challenge and there’s another one waiting for him.
“And we’ve looked at all that and come away without a card?
“If you showed me that clip with the referee out of the picture and asked, ‘What happens next?’ I’d say, ‘He’s in trouble.’
“I wouldn’t say, ‘They’ll have a look and everyone can carry on.’
“Someone will tell me, ‘Alan, you played in a different era.’
“Yes. And if I made that challenge, you’d have spent the next 20 years showing it whenever my name came up. You wouldn’t be looking for a nice angle that made it look better.
“I know what a bad tackle looks like. Having made them doesn’t prevent me recognising another one.
“People keep saying, ‘He’s trying to get the ball.’
“Fine. What has he actually done to the player?
“You can begin a challenge wanting the ball and still make one you should be sent off for. Good intentions don’t protect the other lad’s ankle.
“I’m not claiming I can read Bogle’s mind. Look at the contact. Look at the position the other player is left in.
“The second leg matters as well. You can’t stop after the first contact and tell me we’ve dealt with the whole challenge.
“‘Was there enough in the first one?’
“There’s another one coming. Keep watching.
“And then look at Porro’s booking. For me, he wins that ball cleanly. The referee’s straight over with a yellow.
“‘You can win the ball and still commit a foul, Alan.’
“Yes. I’ve just said that. So apply the same scrutiny to Bogle. Tell me what makes Porro’s challenge a booking and this one nothing.
“You can’t be so certain about punishing one and so generous about the other.
“Imagine Porro looking at that.
“‘I got booked for mine.’
“‘Yes.’
“‘What’s he getting?’
“‘Nothing.’
“Explain that to him without making him feel he’s watching a different set of standards being applied.
“I can understand a referee missing a contact in real time. Players get in your way. You’re looking at one foot and something happens behind it.
“But once we’ve got the replay, explain what you’ve seen that makes you comfortable with this.
“Don’t just tell me it’s been checked. Tell me what you checked.
“The player’s getting up, checking whether he can put weight on his foot, and the answer appears to be that nothing further is needed.
“We tell players to stay on their feet. Give them some confidence that when they’re caught, somebody will deal with it. They shouldn’t have to make a performance out of being hurt.
“And imagine Leeds go on to win or salvage a draw. Tottenham are left thinking, ‘We should have been playing against ten men. Instead, we’ve had a player on the receiving end of that and Leeds have kept everybody on the pitch.’
“Someone says, ‘Well, Spurs still had chances.’
“That’s not the point. You can’t take away an advantage they should have had and then tell them they should have played better anyway.
“And what if the player who’s been caught has to come off? Tottenham lose somebody they need while the man who made the challenge stays on and helps Leeds get a result.
“Where’s the justice in that?
“‘Sorry, we got it wrong.’
“Does the apology give Spurs those minutes against ten men? Does it put their player back on the pitch?
“Those points could matter at the end of the season. By then, this will be an old clip to everybody else. It won’t feel old to the team that paid for the mistake.
“For me, it’s a red card. Not even a yellow is an extraordinary outcome.
“Someone will say, ‘At least he’s got up.’
“Good. I’m delighted he’s got up.
“That tells me how the player’s doing. It doesn’t tell me the tackle was acceptable.”