Brian Brobbey played a negative leading role in Sunday’s Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur match by giving Spurs captain Cristian Romero an unnecessary shove. The Argentine may have sustained a serious knee injury, but that did not stop Sunderland from posting what appeared to be an unfortunate message about Brobbey after the match.
The forward shoved Romero, sending the centre-back crashing into goalkeeper Antonín Kinský. Romero landed awkwardly on his knee and immediately left the field in obvious pain, while Kinský continued after receiving treatment for a head injury.
Romero shed tears on the pitch and is expected to be sidelined for some time. Argentine media suggest he may have suffered a medial ligament injury that could jeopardise his World Cup hopes.
Given the seriousness of the incident, many observers were baffled when Sunderland later posted a celebratory photo of Brobbey with the caption: ‘Try and stop him.’
“He could have been shown four yellow cards,” reads one popular comment. “He may have ended Romero’s season with that push. You shouldn’t be applauding anything he did today; it sets a dangerous precedent.”
“Brobbey has just ended a player’s season and perhaps the World Cup too,” reads another. “A scandalous post.” One fan writes cynically: “Really classy. He’s injured two players. Well done.”
“One of the most despicable displays I’ve seen in a long time,” reads one comment. “It says a lot about the club that they decided to post this.”
The fallout has even reached Argentina, where fears now surface that Romero, a key figure in their national team, could miss the World Cup. Brobbey, meanwhile, has been targeted with a deluge of racist abuse.