Sussex

Latest Updates

  1. Referee should have rejected VAR advice

    Dale Johnson
    Football issues correspondent

    Referee Thomas Bramall checks the VAR monitorGetty Images

    The red card controversially shown to Brighton defender Pascal Struijk at Sunderland, after an intervention by the video assistant referee (VAR), has been overturned.

    Struijk was sent off 57 minutes in to Saturday's match at the Stadium of Light, when he was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as he tried to run on to a through-ball.

    Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant gave a foul initially, but VAR Neil Davies intervened and called the on-field official to the screen.

    After watching the replay multiple times, Bramall showed Struijk a straight red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

    If Struijk had been sent off by referee Bramall it would have been a poor decision, but the fact it came via a VAR intervention is much worse.

    Red cards for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity via video review are rare, simply because there are so many subjective considerations.

    Last season, for instance, there were three - for Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix and Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi (though this was wrongly rejected at the monitor).

    There was far too much doubt that Isidor would get to the ball before Bart Verbruggen. That means it was a possible goalscoring opportunity rather than obvious.

    With such a high bar on VAR in the Premier League, Bramall should not have been sent to the monitor.

    Perhaps, when sent to the screen, his judgement was clouded because he did not give a foul - but it was the kind of situation where the referee should be rejecting the advice of the VAR.

  3. A man and woman, both with dark hair, hugging and smiling.

  4. Pascal Struijk is shown a red card by referee Thomas Bramall

  5. 'A better side would have punished us'

    Enzo le Fee of Sunderland hurdles Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen Getty Images

    Former Brighton players Warren Aspinall and Guy Butters believe Fabian Hurzeler's side gave too much away defensively against Sunderland, despite winning the game 2-0.

    The Seagulls had to battle in a tight first half as their opponents had several presentable opportunities, then held out following and Pascal Struijk's controversial red card early in the second period, which came four minutes after Maxim de Cuyper's opener.

    "A better side playing us would have punished us," Aspinall told this week's edition of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited poddcast.

    "They got in some good areas and made the wrong decisions. All the danger was coming down the left-hand side, with Olivier Boscagli, Chema Andres and De Cuyper pushing forward too many times on occasions.

    "With better balls in and better end product, Sunderland could have been at least 2-0 up at half-time.

    "But, they dug in after the red card and got the win."

    Butters added: "When the ball is played in front of us we look really strong and on the front foot. The minute someone starts passing balls in behind and in between the full-backs, we struggle a little bit.

    "You are going to concede chances like that against teams, but if you can come away with a clean sheet you're delighted."

    Listen to the full episode of Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds

  7. A child looks through the viewfinder of an old film camera in a grainy black and white image.

  8. A man with brown hair, black glasses and a greying beard smiles at the camera. He is wearing a navy suit and a black top. There are out-of-focus trees behind him

    • UK
    Police apprehend a suspect

  10. A police man approaches an overturned lorry on a road at night.

  11. A close up of Katie Price arriving at Lewes Crown Court, she is wearing large dark sunglasses and looking over her shoulder. She has dark hair and is wearing a pale fur jacket, the white wooden doors of the building can be seen behind her.

  12. 🎧Albion Unlimited: Bring it on!

    A new episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast is now available to listen to and download on BBC Sounds.

    Former Albion players Warren Aspinall and Guy Butters join Johnny Cantor to react to Sunday's win at Sunderland and hear from goalscorer Jaouen Hadjam.

    Plus, the Conference League gets underway this week and author David Pugh profiles Getafe - possibly the Seagulls' toughest league phase opponents.

    There is also the small matter of looking forward to next weekend's visit of rivals Crystal Palace.

    Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

    Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

    Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

    The orange BBC Sounds logo against a black background

  13. Two people in hi-vis orange coats carrying packs of bottled water to cars. They are walking in between two pallets of packs of bottled water.

  14. How much did Man City's rule breaking cost your team?

    Dale Johnson
    Football issues correspondent

    A graphic detailing the potential financial impact of Manchester City's spending on other English clubs

    Imagine a world where Manchester City had not used "sham contracts" to build a team capable of winning three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three EFL Cups.

    If City were the winners, then there had to be losers - and not just those teams who finished runners-up or lost cup finals.

    The potential impact runs much deeper and includes missed Champions League qualification, relegation and Premier League prize money.

    Thirty-five other teams played in the English top flight between 2009 and 2018.

    And every one could in some way claim to have been left financially out of pocket.

    Learn more about how the numbers were calculated here

  15. Troy Deeney stands in front of a Team of the Week formation graphic full of question marks

  16. 'Huge gap' between Brighton and Kauno Zalgiris squads

    Kauno Zalgiris players during the Europa League play-offs against Besiktas.Getty Images

    Lithuanian journalist Mantas Krasnickas spoke to BBC Radio Sussex to give insight into Brighton's Conference League opponents Kauno Zalgiris and said there will be a "huge gap" between the ages of the squads on display at the Amex.

    The Seagulls will get their European campaign up and running against Lithuania's champions, who are something of an unknown quantity in England. Krasnickas explained how their fate changed when they merged with one of Lithuania's leading basketball clubs.

    "I expected them to win their first title earlier but they didn't manage to do that," he said.

    "The main thing was becoming part of Kauno Zalgiris - joining the basketball organisation. From that point, they started growing, the budget started growing. They managed to get some really great players and became a competitive team in Lithuania. With the budget growing, they became a top two club in Lithuania. It was written in the stars that they were going to win someday.

    "They are the second team in Lithuanian history to make it to the Conference League. It is huge for them because the budget is something around 4.5m euros per season and it was a growing budget from last year. They got more than 4m euros for qualifying, so it's almost doubling their budget now.

    "I also commentate on the Premier League in Lithuania. I like Brighton very much for how they work. They have a base of young players, bringing talents and showing what they're capable of.

    "In Lithuania, it's an old fellas league. Many players are at their prime or past it, so if you look at the age differences in the starting line-ups before the game you will see a huge gap, I am pretty sure of that."

    Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds here

  18. A man with a grey beard wearing a blue baseball cap, blue fleece and check shirt, standing in front of a red and white fishing boat.

  19. Woman's hands in her lap as she sits crossed legged on a sofa

  20. An EFL branded football in the back of the net

  21. An exterior view of Clair Hall - a brown building with a blue sign above the door.

  22. Katie Price wearing a brown leather coat, cream jumper and dark sunglasses standing near a road.

  23. Sussex badge

  24. Doug Loft wearing a white Port Vale shirt

  25. A 16-year-old boy, Joshua Ingram, has light brown hair which is long at the front and shaved at the sides. He is wearing a grey t-shirt and looking seriously at the camera, with the sea behind him.