Confusion spread around the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.
About an hour into the Premier League game, the home team’s supporters were angered by the long wait for what appeared to be a routine Fulham substitution to take place. They jeered and some shouted, “Sort it out!”
The Fulham head coach Marco Silva was as bewildered as anyone and helplessly tried to push the substituted player Ryan Sessegnon — Fulham’s No 30 (more on why that matter later) — back onto the pitch.
Advertisement
Why was a head coach trying to get a player he had just taken off to return to the field of play?
Two and a half minutes later still no one knew what had happened…
Silva’s side had gone a goal down in the very first minute of the game, when Antoine Semenyo gave Bournemouth the lead in a match between two teams battling to qualify for European football next season. Before kick-off on Monday night, Bournemouth were 10th and Fulham were eighth.
In the 57th minute of the match, with his side still trailing, the Fulham head coach decided enough was enough — he needed to make changes.
He wanted to make a triple substitution, so on went Raul Jimenez, Tom Cairney and Adama Traore, and off trudged Rodrigo Muniz, Sander Berge and… Sessegnon.
Up goes the fourth official’s board showing No 30 (Sessegnon) is being replaced by No 11 (Traore)…
The board is shown in the direction of the Fulham dugout…
Off goes Sessegnon, not looking too delighted by the decision…
And on goes Traore…
The midfielder Berge (No 16) is the next player to make way (for the No 10 Cairney) – but he stops at the touchline as something is not right…
It becomes clear that Sessegnon is not the player that Silva wanted to take off.
The Fulham head coach leads the winger back towards the pitch by his shirt, and urges him to get back out there…
Sessegnon lasts about three seconds before being called back by the officiating team.
Then Silva starts beckoning the referee Michael Oliver over to try to sort things out…
Silva is then part of a heated discussion with Oliver, the fourth official (Tim Robinson), his assistant manager Goncalo Santos and the Fulham captain Cairney. Robinson is showing Oliver the sheet of paper which will have had Fulham’s substitutes written on it.
Oliver walks away and points to where a bemused Sessegnon has to go — back to the substitutes’ bench.
Silva is fuming as Sessegnon returns to the bench and it is one of the linesman that consoles the Fulham player with an arm round his shoulder…
Silva and his staff huff and puff on the bench for a bit, while Sessegnon in the row behind doesn’t really know what has gone on, and the game gets back underway.
Silva was unable to correct the mistake as, according to the rules from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the sport’s lawmakers, “The substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play; from that moment the replaced player becomes a substituted player and the substitute becomes a player.”
Advertisement
Traore had already entered the field of play, so Sessegnon was a substituted player — whether Silva liked it or not.
Return substitutions, whereby a player comes off and then back on, are not permitted in the Premier League and are usually only used in youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football. Five Premier League substitutions are allowed in total and Fulham went on to use all of theirs, later bringing on Emile Smith Rowe and Willian, but Bournemouth held on for an important 1-0 victory.
The mistake seemed to be down to miscommunication between the Fulham staff and the fourth official. It is an incredibly rare thing to see in football.
In his post-match press conference, Silva said: “Yes, it was a lack of communication with the fourth official from our staff. He (Robinson) said about number two and number three, that was the confusion between Ryan (Sessegnon, Fulham’s No 30) and (the fourth official) Robinson.
“We had enough time to correct it when I saw Sessegnon out. I tried to correct it, they saw that it was a mistake from a lack of communication and he (Robinson) decided not to let us correct it.”
While Silva wasn’t explicit in the change he wanted to make, he seemed to imply he wanted to replace his No 20 (the central midfielder Sasa Lukic) rather than his No 30 (Sessegnon) — but the numbers two and three were mixed up.
With Fulham chasing the game, it is understandable why Silva might have wanted to take off Lukic, a defensive midfielder, rather than Sessegnon, a winger who had provided a goal and an assist in his previous two games against Liverpool and Arsenal.
It added to Silva’s volatile mood on the day. Earlier in the game he felt the Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi should have been dismissed for a sliding challenge on Joachim Andersen in the 44th minute. Senesi was shown a yellow card and replaced at half-time by Illia Zabarnyi.
Bournemouth’s win meant they leapfrogged Fulham in the Premier League table, moving up to eighth while Fulham drop a place to ninth.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
NBA Playoffs: Knicks beat Pistons in Game 4 after controversial no-call that set coach J.B. Bickerstaff off
The New York Knicks escaped Detroit with a wild one-point win on Sunday afternoon, which pushed them to a 3-1 lead in their opening-round playoff series with the Pistons.The win, though, only came after a very controversial no-call in the final seconds that sent Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff storming after the officials on the court at Little Caesars Arena while the Knicks players celebrated around them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pistons had the ball down by a single point with 11.1 seconds left on the clock, and were looking for a game-winner. Pistons star Cade Cunningham took a shot from the left elbow, but was just off the mark. After a scramble for the ball under the rim, the Pistons kicked it out to Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner — who had just enough time to put up a shot before the […]
Another big Blues win over the Jets has series tied 2-2: Takeaways
The St. Louis Blues held serve in St. Louis, and now the Western Conference first-round series between the Blues and Winnipeg Jets is tied at two games apiece.Winnipeg took the first two games at Canada Life Centre, and St. Louis responded with back-to-back wins at Enterprise Center, including a 5-1 victory in Game 4 Sunday.AdvertisementThe home team overcame a 1-0 deficit on a goal by Kyle Connor, his third of the series, with Jake Neighbours, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas responding for the Blues.The goals by Schenn, Faulk and Thomas came on three shots, and the last one chased Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck from his second straight game. He surrendered five goals on 18 shots in Game 4 after allowing six goals on 25 shots in Game 3, and he’s now given up 15 goals on […]
Plzeň vyhrála zaslouženě, přiznal smutný kouč Sparty
Před pár dny v poháru Sparta svého soka prakticky nepustila do žádné šance. Teď se role úplně otočily. Letenští se, kromě dvou náznaků z první půle, nedostali vůbec k ničemu.Byly to dva odlišné zápasy, těžko se srovnávají. V prvním poločase jsme se Plzni fyzicky a soubojově vyrovnali, ale inkasovali těsně před přestávkou. Dohánět manko je v Plzni velmi obtížné. Dozadu byla velmi dobrá, my toho dopředu moc nepředvedli. Soupeř vyhrál zaslouženě, to je bez debat. Předčil nás v pohybu, vytvořil si více šancí.Jaká je atmosféra v kabině?V tuto chvíli jsme samozřejmě smutní. Všichni. Víme, co jsme předvedli, rozebereme si to. Ale musíme myslet dopředu, restartovat se a koncentrovat na příští zápas. Pokud bychom si v sobě nosili prohru několik dní, byl by to náš konec.Na druhé místo ztrácíte už šest bodů.Ale dokud máme o co hrát, budeme bojovat a pracovat na maximum. Nemá cenu přemýšlet a teoretizovat, jak může tabulka vypadat, pokud příště […]
Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman throws 53 pitches in an inning before being ejected
Kevin Gausman entered his sixth start of the season averaging 15 pitches per inning. He was crisp, clean and everything the Toronto Blue Jays are accustomed to from their inning-eating veteran.In Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader in the Bronx, efficiency evaporated. Gausman found himself in a slog of a third frame, pulling back for pitch after pitch after pitch. When Austin Wells cranked a double off the wall to score the Yankees’ sixth run of the frame, Gausman’s painful marathon ended with an ejection.The Blue Jays starter was tossed after registering just two outs in the third inning on 53 deliveries, tying Woody Williams’ 1998 Blue Jays record for most pitches in a single inning. RHP Kevin Gausman has been ejected from today's game. — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 27, 2025Gausman’s normally refined control was off from the start […]
10 moves that should be made after 2025 NFL Draft: Will Levis to Buccaneers, plus other notable deals
Getty Images The 2025 NFL Draft is over, bringing hundreds of new players to the professional stage. There were some major surprises during draft weekend, none bigger than Shedeur Sanders' slide all the way to the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns made him their second quarterback addition in as many days. Now that the drama has come and gone, however, all 32 teams are mostly stocked for the upcoming season.That doesn't mean a few more notable moves aren't around the corner. With offseason programs up next, from spring workouts to summer training camp, it's possible -- no, probable -- that clubs will scour the remains of free agency and the trade market for last-minute tweaks and upgrades. That's doubly the case, thanks to the ripples of the draft, with certain veterans arguably more expendable than they were before.So which […]
Cam Ward sends a strong message to Shedeur Sanders, indicating that he may not love football as much as he should
Cam Ward has been named the new starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, as they used their first overall pick to draft him. He is set to become the face of the franchise. The former Miami player has made a statement alongside Shedeur Sanders and the entire new generation of NFL players. During the offseason and prior to the NFL Combine, Cam Ward expressed his deep passion for the game of football. He is focused on making history in the league-not on fame or hype. Shedeur Sanders, a college star over the past two seasons, has benefited significantly from the relationships his father, Deion Sanders, built throughout his career. Coach Primetime has helped elevate the Colorado program and, in particular, his son Shedeur, gaining more attention than many other college players.What happened during Thursday Night Football with Shedeur surprised some, […]
Related
NBA Playoffs: Knicks beat Pistons in Game 4 after controversial no-call that set coach J.B. Bickerstaff off
The New York Knicks escaped Detroit with a wild one-point win on Sunday afternoon, which pushed them to a 3-1 lead in their opening-round playoff series with the Pistons.The win, though, only came after a very controversial no-call in the final seconds that sent Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff storming after the officials on the court at Little Caesars Arena while the Knicks players celebrated around them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pistons had the ball down by a single point with 11.1 seconds left on the clock, and were looking for a game-winner. Pistons star Cade Cunningham took a shot from the left elbow, but was just off the mark. After a scramble for the ball under the rim, the Pistons kicked it out to Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner — who had just enough time to put up a shot before the […]
Another big Blues win over the Jets has series tied 2-2: Takeaways
The St. Louis Blues held serve in St. Louis, and now the Western Conference first-round series between the Blues and Winnipeg Jets is tied at two games apiece.Winnipeg took the first two games at Canada Life Centre, and St. Louis responded with back-to-back wins at Enterprise Center, including a 5-1 victory in Game 4 Sunday.AdvertisementThe home team overcame a 1-0 deficit on a goal by Kyle Connor, his third of the series, with Jake Neighbours, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas responding for the Blues.The goals by Schenn, Faulk and Thomas came on three shots, and the last one chased Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck from his second straight game. He surrendered five goals on 18 shots in Game 4 after allowing six goals on 25 shots in Game 3, and he’s now given up 15 goals on […]
Plzeň vyhrála zaslouženě, přiznal smutný kouč Sparty
Před pár dny v poháru Sparta svého soka prakticky nepustila do žádné šance. Teď se role úplně otočily. Letenští se, kromě dvou náznaků z první půle, nedostali vůbec k ničemu.Byly to dva odlišné zápasy, těžko se srovnávají. V prvním poločase jsme se Plzni fyzicky a soubojově vyrovnali, ale inkasovali těsně před přestávkou. Dohánět manko je v Plzni velmi obtížné. Dozadu byla velmi dobrá, my toho dopředu moc nepředvedli. Soupeř vyhrál zaslouženě, to je bez debat. Předčil nás v pohybu, vytvořil si více šancí.Jaká je atmosféra v kabině?V tuto chvíli jsme samozřejmě smutní. Všichni. Víme, co jsme předvedli, rozebereme si to. Ale musíme myslet dopředu, restartovat se a koncentrovat na příští zápas. Pokud bychom si v sobě nosili prohru několik dní, byl by to náš konec.Na druhé místo ztrácíte už šest bodů.Ale dokud máme o co hrát, budeme bojovat a pracovat na maximum. Nemá cenu přemýšlet a teoretizovat, jak může tabulka vypadat, pokud příště […]
Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman throws 53 pitches in an inning before being ejected
Kevin Gausman entered his sixth start of the season averaging 15 pitches per inning. He was crisp, clean and everything the Toronto Blue Jays are accustomed to from their inning-eating veteran.In Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader in the Bronx, efficiency evaporated. Gausman found himself in a slog of a third frame, pulling back for pitch after pitch after pitch. When Austin Wells cranked a double off the wall to score the Yankees’ sixth run of the frame, Gausman’s painful marathon ended with an ejection.The Blue Jays starter was tossed after registering just two outs in the third inning on 53 deliveries, tying Woody Williams’ 1998 Blue Jays record for most pitches in a single inning. RHP Kevin Gausman has been ejected from today's game. — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 27, 2025Gausman’s normally refined control was off from the start […]
10 moves that should be made after 2025 NFL Draft: Will Levis to Buccaneers, plus other notable deals
Getty Images The 2025 NFL Draft is over, bringing hundreds of new players to the professional stage. There were some major surprises during draft weekend, none bigger than Shedeur Sanders' slide all the way to the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns made him their second quarterback addition in as many days. Now that the drama has come and gone, however, all 32 teams are mostly stocked for the upcoming season.That doesn't mean a few more notable moves aren't around the corner. With offseason programs up next, from spring workouts to summer training camp, it's possible -- no, probable -- that clubs will scour the remains of free agency and the trade market for last-minute tweaks and upgrades. That's doubly the case, thanks to the ripples of the draft, with certain veterans arguably more expendable than they were before.So which […]
Cam Ward sends a strong message to Shedeur Sanders, indicating that he may not love football as much as he should
Cam Ward has been named the new starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, as they used their first overall pick to draft him. He is set to become the face of the franchise. The former Miami player has made a statement alongside Shedeur Sanders and the entire new generation of NFL players. During the offseason and prior to the NFL Combine, Cam Ward expressed his deep passion for the game of football. He is focused on making history in the league-not on fame or hype. Shedeur Sanders, a college star over the past two seasons, has benefited significantly from the relationships his father, Deion Sanders, built throughout his career. Coach Primetime has helped elevate the Colorado program and, in particular, his son Shedeur, gaining more attention than many other college players.What happened during Thursday Night Football with Shedeur surprised some, […]
Be the first to leave a comment