Thomas Frank admits Tottenham will appeal Xavi Simons’ suspension
There was little to separate the sides during the opening half-hour on Sunday, but the match shifted when Xavi was sent off for a mistimed challenge on Virgil van Dijk. He was initially booked, only for the referee to upgrade the caution to a red card after a VAR review at the pitchside monitor.
That decision was not the only contentious moment, as Hugo Ekitiké appeared to shove Cristian Romero before heading in Liverpool’s second goal, while the Tottenham skipper was later dismissed in stoppage time.
Thomas Frank has acknowledged that Tottenham are unlikely to be able to appeal Xavi Simons’ red card. The Spurs head coach said he had seen similar challenges many times and felt a straight red was severe, but accepted that an appeal would probably fail because the referee reviewed the incident following VAR intervention.
Speaking to Football.London, Frank said he disagreed with the decision, arguing that the tackle was neither reckless nor made with excessive force, and questioned how it could lead to a three-match suspension. He explained that Simons was attempting to apply pressure, changed direction, and unfortunately caught Van Dijk on the Achilles, adding that such contact should not automatically result in such a harsh punishment. However, he conceded that the club likely cannot challenge the ban.
Despite the setbacks, Tottenham can draw encouragement from their display against Liverpool. Reduced to ten men for much of the match and facing several unfavourable decisions, the players showed resilience and continued to compete. Spurs even came close to salvaging a point late on, something they might have achieved had Ekitiké’s goal been ruled out.
While the performance offered positives, Frank will be concerned by the suspensions handed to both Romero and Xavi.
