Ligue 1 defender sent off after just nine seconds in one of fastest red cards ever seen | Football | Sport
Former Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo was sent off just nine seconds into Nice’s Ligue 1 clash with Angers on Sunday. The centre-back obliterated the record for the fastest red card in the French top-flight after denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Todibo was shown a red card within nine seconds of the fixture. Angers had taken kick-off and immediately surged forward on the attack, with Nice clearly unprepared for such an early onslaught.
Attacker Abdallah Sima beat the 22-year-old to the ball, but was brought down as he bore down on goal. Referee Bastien Dechepy awarded a free-kick and immediately produced a red card for the Frenchman. It is by far the fastest sending-off in Ligue 1.
It seemed a slightly harsh decision, though, given that Todibo’s centre-back partner Dante appeared to be capable of getting across to tackle Sima. Referees should only send off a player in that scenario if they have deemed them to have denied an obvious goalscoring chance.
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Nice remained on level terms for the majority of the first half. Former Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb scored in the 43rd minute, before ex-Southampton man Sofiane Boufal was dismissed for Angers shortly into the second half.
Todibo was linked with a Premier League move in the summer. Both Leicester and Chelsea – two clubs in search of centre-back reinforcements – were suggested as possible destinations.
Leicester ultimately signed Belgian defender Wout Faes on deadline day, while Chelsea strengthened with the additions of Foxes ace Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly. Todibo joined Nice from Barcelona in the summer of 2019 and has enjoyed previous spells at Toulouse and Schalke.
