“When the referee showed me the second yellow card and sent me off, I could not believe it," Mascherano said. "I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him.” 

 After reading Mascherano quotes or his reactions to his sending off, my conclusions are the following: This is a cultural difference issue? Maybe this kind of behavior is tolerated in South America? Or he is a naïve about the viewing public ability to see and comprehend what’s happening on the pitch? Or he is just a liar?  

 I have read some comments that the second yellow card should have been given sooner- I agree. If you go back and look at the game you will see the deterioration in his behavior. During that game he uttered the F-bomb (“F-OFF”) at least once- not sure who it was directed to? Even more concerning was his behavior after he was asked to leave the field. He was not responding to his teammate’s efforts to have him leave the field. This is why, like others, I hope the FA give him an additional game or two ban. The message has got to be clear- this kind of behavior has no place in football.