Luca Marelli has defended Pablo Mari on DAZN after Francesco Fourneau gave the Arsenal defender a late straight red card against Napoli as Udinese fell to a 2-1 defeat on Saturday.
Mari moved to Udinese on loan during the January transfer window, having fallen heavily out of favour in north London. Mikel Arteta had only awarded the Spaniard minutes during two Premier League fixtures this season. And each outing came in their first two matches.
The centre-half had ‘no doubts’ about accepting Gabriele Cioffi’s invite to the Dacia Arena for the rest of the season. He has since proven a mainstay, with the 29-year-old amassing seven Serie A appearances from eight games, starting all. But he now faces a suspension.
Referee Fourneau brandished a straight red card in the 82nd-minute for a serious foul as Udinese sought an equaliser. A Victor Osimhen double had flipped the scoreline after the break to hand the Azzurri victory, having trailed to a Gerard Deulofeu effort on 22 minutes.
Ex-ref defends Pablo Mari as Arsenal loanee sees red card during Udinese loan
Mari had only been sent off once in the Arsenal loanee’s career before seeing a red card as Napoli beat Udinese 2-1 on Saturday. He has also never received two yellows in the same match, despite now amassing 308 appearances across all competitions in his club career.
Of his 75 cautions, three came with the Gunners following a £12m move from Flamengo, initially on loan, in 2020. And former referee Marelli feels Fourneau should have shown Mari his 76th, not the Arsenal man’s second red, as his foul did not merit a sending off.
“I don’t like it very much,” Marelli said, via quotes by TuttoMercatoWEB. “He was not sent off for [a denial of a goalscoring opportunity], a teammate immediately takes the ball.
“He was expelled for disproportionate vigour: there are elements in favour of red, which is why the VAR did not intervene. But, for me, there is a lack of speed. Mari enters badly, but I see no elements for a serious foul play. I would have given yellow.”
Mari has impressed since joining Udinese in a dry loan from Arsenal in the January transfer window. He earned plaudits for his performance against AC Milan last month after holding the title-contenders to a 1-1. But a red card, albeit questionable, will take the shine off.
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