Gareth McAuley Mistakenly Sent off After Craig Dawson Fouled Wilfried Bony

Premier League referee Neil Swarbrick wrongly sent off Gareth McAuley in West Bromwich Albion’s clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. According to BBC Sport on Monday, West Brom won't appeal against McCauley's red card.

BBC Sport added:

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Referee Neil Swarbrick admitted he sent off the wrong man at the Etihad Stadium after Craig Dawson had fouled City striker Wilfried Bony.

The Football Association will now switch the card from McAuley to Dawson.

The defender will serve an automatic one-match suspension and miss the Premier League visit of QPR on 4 April.

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As noted by the Baggies' Twitter account, the official dismissed the wrong defender, with Craig Dawson the man who committed the offence on Wilfried Bony in the second minute of the match:

Here’s a closer look at the incident, per Footy Accumulators:

After the match, Swarbrick apologized for the mix-up, per Sky Sports News HQ:

It’s the second time this season in which there has been a similar case of mistaken identity. Roger East sent off Wes Brown for Sunderland against Manchester United last month when John O’Shea looked to be the man who had felled Radamel Falcao in the penalty area; the defender’s suspension was eventually overturned by the FA, per the Guardian.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Toward the end of the 2013/14 campaign, Andre Marriner also made a comparable error, sending off Kieran Gibbs during Arsenal’s 6-0 loss at Chelsea for a handball on the line. However, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who committed the offence and Gibbs’ ban was also scrapped, per BBC Sport.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher thinks that incidents like these show that the referees need help from technology:

West Brom will naturally appeal the decision, but this latest faux pas will further stir the whirlwind of discussion regarding the introduction of further technology for in-game incidents. The standard of refereeing is often called into question by miffed supporters, but the flurry of incidents like those aforementioned will be a major worry for the Premier League.