Be'er Sheva's Diouf Defends Himself After Controversial Red Card in Baku

Following Hapoel Be'er Sheva's painful elimination, the team's players arrived early at Baku airport for their return to Israel, subdued and reflective. Among them was defender Jibril Diouf, who faced heavy criticism for his red card received during the match against Sabah. Diouf entered as a substitute at halftime but was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, sparking backlash from fans and prompting coach Ran Kojukh to publicly defend him.

Diouf expressed frustration over the criticism and questioned the legitimacy of the cautions. Regarding the first yellow card, he explained that he was penalized for kicking the ball out while it was still in play near the sideline, a decision he felt was unfair since the ball had not crossed out of bounds. He argued there was no advantage gained by his action, especially under post-World Cup rules that allow quick restarts from the sideline.

On the second yellow card, Diouf insisted he did not foul the opponent and recounted the referee initially dismissing the incident before suddenly issuing the card. He requested a VAR review, which was denied despite intervention from teammate Eliel Peretz and his own appeals to the fourth official. Diouf concluded by stating he did not understand the referee's decision to send him off and believed he should have remained on the field.