Chris Wilder Plans to Appeal Touchline Ban Following Red Card Incident
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has announced his intention to appeal any touchline ban resulting from the red card he received during the half-time break of Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat to Southampton.
The 58-year-old was sent to the stands after kicking the ball into the crowd in frustration, accidentally striking a home supporter, following a penalty awarded against his team in the first half. Wilder expressed his disappointment with the decision.
"If I had confronted the referee at half-time and reacted aggressively, or if I had kicked the ball directly at him or the fourth official, I would accept the punishment without contesting it," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield. "However, I will appeal because, as you can see, I merely knocked the ball back with a bit of force. I went straight into the stand, apologized to the individual involved, and then was shown a red card."
Wilder added, "If there is a charge against me, I will appeal it, and I will be ready for the Hull City game, where I want to be, as I did not enjoy being unable to assist the team in the second half."
Wilder also criticized the appointment of referee Adam Herczeg, who has officiated matches in the English Football League (EFL) since the 2022-23 season and was overseeing his third Championship game this season.
"Everyone makes mistakes, including managers and players, but it feels like we are a testing ground for referees," he stated. "If there are new referees being promoted, why hasn’t this referee officiated more Championship games this season? This match featured a team that recently came from the Premier League against a team that narrowly missed promotion last season. Regardless of league positions, this was a high-profile Championship match."
Wilder pointed out, "There is Stephen Martin, a top-class Championship referee, serving as the fourth official in another match. Why aren’t we being assigned an experienced referee for this fixture? I don’t understand the appointment system. We all know that the best referees often go unnoticed, but he certainly did not go unnoticed on Tuesday night."