The referee of the match of the Cup of African Nations forced the midfielder of the DR Congo national team Samuel Muthussamy leave the field on a stretcher, threatening a second warning.
At the end of the meeting, Muthussamy felt convulsions and ended up on the lawn. The football player explained to the referee that the problem was not serious and he needed to drink water, after which he was ready to immediately return to the game without using a stretcher. However, the referee insisted that the player leave the field on a stretcher, threatening a yellow card in case of refusal. As Muthussamy had already received a warning in the 20th minute of the first half, he agreed to the referee’s request to avoid being sent off.
Samuel Muthussamy: “I told the referee that I only had cramps in my calf. I was going to drink some water and go back to the field, the stretcher was not needed. But he told me: you have to lie on the stretcher, otherwise I will show you a yellow card. I already had one, so I didn’t think about it for a long time. This is probably some point of the regulations that I don’t know.”
After the midfielder was carried off the pitch, he stood up abruptly, ran quickly and returned to the pitch a few minutes later. All this caused surprise among the audience. As a result, Muthussamy played the entire 90 minutes of the match and did not need to be substituted. After the game, the football player in the mixed zone denied that he was trying to waste time.
Under the IFAB Laws of the Game, the Powers and Responsibilities section states that the referee is required to issue a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct to a player who fails to comply with instructions to leave the pitch for medical attention after allowing medics to enter the pitch. At the same time, the football player can leave the field both independently and on a stretcher. So, in theory, Muthussamy could have gone off the field without a carry and not risk a second yellow warning.
After a 1-0 win over Benin, the DR Congo national team has 3 points in the tournament and is in second place in Group D. Senegal is in the lead, having beaten Botswana (3-0) and also has 3 points.
Video. Scandal at the Cannes: the judge forced the player to lie down on a stretcher
π΄ Samuel Moutoussamy s’explique aprΓ¨s sa sortie sur civiΓ¨reπ£οΈ “The referee told me that if I didn’t mount a stretcher, I would get a yellow card.” J’en avais dΓ©jΓ un, donc je n’ai pas rΓ©flΓ©chi Β» pic.twitter.com/2NYVISOTy8
β Actu_cd (@Actu_cd01) December 24, 2025
π¨π©π₯ Moutoussamy explains his sortie sur civiΓ¨re“J’avais pas besoin de la civiΓ¨re.” π’ππ₯πππ§π₯π π ’π ππ§ : π¦π π§π¨ π π‘π§ππ£ π£π π¨π₯ ππ ππ©ππΜπ, ππ π§π π ππ§π§ π£π‘π₯ J’en avais dΓ©jΓ un donc j’ai pas trop rΓ©flΓ©chy π.β¦ https://t.co/KSU1nfJRau pic.twitter.com/wyiIfFXC75
β Said Amdaa (@SaidAmdaa) December 23, 2025
Samuel Moutoussamy is an interesting character. While his team was leading against Benin, he attempted to waste time by feigning an injury, which forced the referee to summon a stretcher.As soon as he was carried off the pitch, he rose from the stretcher like the Undertaker and pic.twitter.com/jrtgw0k2CO
β sirkings media β½ (@sirkings97715) December 23, 2025
Source: sport.ua