The Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has determined that Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey should have been sent off during his team's 1-0 victory over Tottenham on April 12. Referee Rob Jones issued a foul against Brobbey for a two-handed push on Cristian Romero in the 63rd minute, but failed to produce a second yellow card, despite having already booked the Dutchman earlier in the match.
The incident occurred shortly after Sunderland took the lead through Nordi Mukiele. Brobbey chased a long ball with Romero, who slowed to shield it for goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Brobbey then nudged Romero in the back, causing the Tottenham defender to collide with Kinsky and suffer a season-ending knee injury.
The KMI panel voted 3-2 that Jones's decision was a mistake, describing Brobbey's action as "an unnecessarily reckless" two-handed push. Had a second yellow been shown, Tottenham would have faced a 10-man Sunderland for the final half-hour.
The decision sparked further scrutiny of Jones, who has now been responsible for five of the 12 errors this season involving missed second yellow cards. According to KMI statistics, all five of his mistakes should have resulted in red cards. Other notable incidents involving Jones this season include missed second yellows for Malick Thiaw, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Cole Palmer. Jones has the joint-most errors on second bookings over the past two seasons, with three in 2024-25 and two in 2023-24.
Following the match, Brobbey was subjected to racist abuse on social media, prompting Sunderland to report the incidents to the Premier League, social media platforms, and police.