French media reach Ethan Nwaneri agreement as Arsenal loanee sparks red card outrage

Ethan Nwaneri started for Marseille in their French Cup victory over Rennes but he only lasted until half-time after sparking serious controversy

Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri was in from the off as Marseille beat Rennes 3-0 in their French Cup round of 16 tie. But the 18-year-old was taken off at half-time after his reckless challenge caused outrage.

The Gunners’ youngest-ever Premier League player was shipped out on loan by Mikel Arteta last month in an attempt to give him more senior minutes. Marseille picked up Nwaneri until the end of the season and he grabbed a goal on debut against Lens.

Nwaneri was handed another start by Roberto De Zerbi against Rennes, who were led at the back by incoming Liverpool star Jeremy Jacquet. Marseille won the tie 3-0, but after just 22 minutes the young attacker’s tackle sparked fury. He was late on Rennes’ Glen Kamara and caught his ankle with some force.

The Rennes star had to be withdrawn due to injury and his manager Habib Beye claims officials apologised after the match, realising Nwaneri should have been sent off. De Zerbi swiftly substituted Nwaneri at the half and French media have issued rather scathing reviews of the Arsenal loanee’s challenge.

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Eurosport France

Kamara’s injury was described as “horrific” by Eurosport France, which claims that the 3-0 cup tie could have gone very differently for Marseille had the lucky Nwaneri been shown a red.

The outlet reported: “Everything could have changed very quickly for Marseille after Nwaneri’s foul on Kamara. It was a violent tackle with the Englishman’s foot on the Finn’s ankle.”

But what many consider to be Nwaneri’s saving grace is the fact that at this stage of the French Cup, there is no VAR in use. Eurosport France continued: “This foul could have warranted a red card.

“Beye made no secret of his anger towards the officiating crew. The 48-year-old manager demanded a red card for the Englishman. However, VAR is not yet in use at the Round of 16 stage of the competition.”

La Provence

Regional outlet La Provence took aim at Nwaneri after the final whistle, claiming that although he showed some early attacking intent, his tackle deserved a red.

The outlet rated him a 4/10 for his first-half efforts and penned: “He has talent and fire in his legs, but he’s too inconsistent. Despite a handful of impressive bursts of speed, he wasn’t in the game.

“He completely lost it when he took out Kamara with a very heavy tackle on the ankle that deserved a red card. He only received a yellow card but was logically replaced at half-time.”

RMC Sport

Much like other outlets, RMC Sport thought Nwaneri got away with one in the cup clash. The outlet suggests he would have been shown his marching orders and potentially cost his team the tie if VAR were in use.

RMC Sport’s live coverage of the match read: “Nwaneri’s made a huge mistake! What a challenge from the Marseille newcomer. He delivers a very harsh tackle on Kamara’s ankle. VAR isn’t in use for the round of 16 so the English midfielder gets away with it!”

They continued post-match: “Despite the yellow card, Nwaneri didn’t let up and made another slightly rough tackle a few minutes later. Although not sent off by the referee, the Englishman ultimately left the field at half-time.

“Fearing he would be sent off, as the referee may have realised his mistake during the break, De Zerbi opted to replace him with Bilal Nadir for the second half.”

RMC Sport did point out that Nwaneri showed some attacking promise in the short time he was on the pitch, describing him as “a whirlwind of energy in attack.”

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