December 24, (THEWILL) — Tottenham Hotspur defender, Cristian Romero, faces an extended ban after England’s Football Association charged him with improper conduct following his red card in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Liverpool. The Argentina international must respond to the charge by January 2, 2026.
The FA alleges Romero failed to leave the pitch promptly and behaved in a confrontational manner towards referee, John Brooks, after receiving a second yellow card in the 93rd minute. The dismissal came after he kicked out at Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate, having already been cautioned for dissent when he protested a push by Hugo Ekitike during Liverpool’s second goal. The red card triggers an automatic one-match suspension for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, but further punishment could rule him out of subsequent fixtures against Brentford, Sunderland, and Bournemouth.
Spurs head coach, Thomas Frank, defended his captain and criticised the referee’s performance. Frank stated Brooks made “a massive mistake” by missing Ekitike’s push on Romero and suggested VAR should have intervened. The manager argued that had the official done his job properly, the initial yellow card would not have been issued.
Frank described Romero, who entered the match on seven English Premier League bookings this season, as “extremely passionate” and said such players “need to go to the line sometimes”. The defeat occurred with Tottenham reduced to nine men after Xavi Simons received a first-half red card for serious foul play.
The loss leaves Spurs in 14th position in the EPL table and intensifies scrutiny on Frank, who took charge in June after Ange Postecoglou’s departure. Romero’s potential absence through suspension compounds difficulties for a side struggling to climb the standings.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
