The major star’s red card was criticized by the Nottingham Forest coach.

After Willy Boly was controversially sent off in the first half of Nottingham Forest’s match against Bournemouth, the supporters were furious.

Only his second yellow card of the season was given to the center defender in the fifth minute of Saturday’s Premier League match (December 23). Less than fifteen minutes later, though, the 32-year-old received his second yellow card for a challenge with Adam Smith, the captain of Bournemouth.

With the ball up for grabs, both men ran towards it with Boly sticking his leg out as he got to the ball first but connected with the foot of the Englishman who was writhing in pain on the ground.

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Referee Robert Jones dismissed Boly without hesitation, even though it was evident that he made contact with the ball first. The decision stunned both the Ivory Coast international and his teammates. On social media, fans were equally shocked. One user on X (previously Twitter) wrote: “Willy Boly just received a second yellow card for this challenge. A complete shame. Astonished.”

Another fan said, “So CLEARLY wins the ball,” expressing their ire at the red card. “Absolutely ridiculous,” said a third person, criticizing the referees’ work this season and said, “It’s time for the top levels of the sport to start looking at how to improve the standard of officiating from the PGMOL.”