The Competition Committee has withdrawn the yellow card shown to Real Madrid player, Sergio Ramos, last weekend for taking off his shirt to reveal a tribute to his friend, Antonio Puerta, who died last Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during Sevilla's opening match of the Liga season three days previously against Getafe.
The Competition Committee ruled that Ramos's action constituted: "a sincere homage, a gesture of friendship towards a brother player cut down in his prime," and in no way was meant to provoke crowd violence or change the outcome of the game.
In response to the decision, Ramos said: "When I made the dedication, I knew the rules and understood why the referee showed me the yellow card, but I had to make this special tribute. Perhaps, under the circumstances, I might not have been booked, but I understood. Now I've heard the news I feel very happy and I'm grateful for the gesture. The Competition Committee understood my motives."
Ref books Ramos for Puerta tribute By: thinkSPAIN Monday, September 3, 2007
Sergio Ramos, who came through the junior ranks at Sevilla with his close friend Antonio Puerta, who died last Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during last Satruday's match against Getafe, was booked yesterday for taking off his shirt during a goal celebration to reveal a tribute to his fallen colleague; on a T-shirt worn underneath his Real shirt, Ramos had printed the message 'Puerta, my brother, we shall never forget you'.
After the game, referee Medina Cantalejo, defended his action by pointing out that he was only applying the rules, and that players know that they will be booked for taking off their shirts.
However, during a week marked by general mourning and homages to the young Spanish international, Cantalejo's decision not only lacks common sense, but also goes against the advice of FIFA president, Joseph Blatter, who said last May that players who take off their shirts should only be yellow-carded if, by doing so, they either provoke the crowd, incite violence or change the course of the game.
