VfB Stuttgart have lodged an appeal against the controversial sending off of captain Atakan Karazor for a second bookable offence in Saturday's Bundesliga match in Wolfsburg, reported dpa.
Stuttgart said on Sunday that they are basing their appeal on a mistake from referee Sven Jablonski, which he has admitted to, in order to prevent an automatic one-game suspension for Karazor.
Stuttgart board member for sport Fabian Wohlgemuth said: "There was an obvious mistake by the referee, so it is logical to protest against the yellow-red card.
"We had to do without our captain for 30 minutes in Wolfsburg and are we supposed to do the same in the upcoming home game against Hoffenheim? A double punishment cannot be in the spirit of fair play."
Karazor got a second yellow in the 63rd minute after Jablonski ruled that he had fouled Maximilian Arnold.
TV replays indicated that Arnold had rather fouled Karazor, and Jablonski acknowledged his mistake post-match.
The referee criticised that video reviews were permitted only for straight red cards and not for second bookings.
"I would also like us to have the chance to go to the TV screen and check the scene when a second yellow card is shown. Because it does have a massive impact on the game," Jablonski said.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi