Mohammed Kudus was not penalised for his tribute to Christian Atsu because the match referee in charge of the Ajax match acknowledged the issue was “bigger than rules of football”.
The Ghanaian midfielder scored a free kick in the 84th minute for the Eredivisie giants during their 4-0 victory over Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday. He then removed his shirt to reveal the inscription “RIP Atsu” underneath.
Normally, these acts would be met with a yellow card, but referee Pol van Boekel refrained because he “understood” why Kudus was so keen to honor his countryman.
It was confirmed on Saturday that the former Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton winger Atsu was among those to have lost their lives in the tragic earthquakes that have devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria.
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Explaining his tribute, Kudus added: “This one was for Christian.
“Everyone knows what happened in Turkey. I chose this because he is dear to me. It’s naturally for all those families that are affected.
“I learned a lot from watching him, he also regularly gave me advice. Everything I gave today was for him. If I hadn’t have scored, I would have shown the shirt after the game.”
Kudus also told ESPN afterwards: “This is bigger than the rules of football, it’s about life and death.
“The referee said it was not allowed, but he understood the situation. I am grateful to him for that and I respect him very much.”
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