Mike Dean reacts to Daniel Farke controversy at Leeds United
Mike Dean has reacted to the controversy surrounding Daniel Farke at Leeds United after what happened recently.
The Whites took on Sunderland in the Championship at home on 17 February and made a late comeback to get the three points.
Pascal Struijk brought joy to Elland Road as he scored a stoppage-time winner and completed a brace after coming on as a second-half substitute against the Black Cats.
There was controversy surrounding Farke after the game and Dean has reacted to what happened.
| Championship table (2024/25) | Points |
| 1. Leeds United | 72 |
| 2. Sheffield United | 70 |
| 3. Burnley | 68 |
| 4. Sunderland | 62 |
Farke yellow card in Leeds United v Sunderland correct
Farke’s yellow card against Sunderland for his celebrations at the end of the game was justified, Dean says.
The former referee feels Stuart Atwell was right to book the Whites’ head coach as chaos ensued during the final minutes at Elland Road.
The German manager was part of the jubilant scenes at home as Struijk found the back of the net late in the fixture and will now serve a touchline ban.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (22 February), Dean said: “I think it’s unfortunate, but at the start of the season, they were all told you can’t come on the pitch, you can’t do what he did.
“So, unfortunately for him, he did get a yellow card. It’s his third one, so he’s going to get a touchline ban. And I understand the emotion. You could have probably turned a blind eye.”
Elland Road jubilant after Sunderland scenes
Farke is eyeing Premier League promotion at Leeds as they sit at the top of the table with a two-point lead.
The Peacocks missed out on English top-flight football after losing to Southampton in the play-offs final,
The Elland Road faithful now expect Farke to win automatic promotion, and inability to do so could get him into trouble with the supporters.
This makes the stoppage-time winner from Struijk even more valuable as the Whites have maintained their gap with Sheffield United.
The Whites will have the opportunity to extend their lead as they travel to Bramall Lane on Monday (24 February), and a win could see them open up a five-point gap.
Farke will be a big miss in South Yorkshire, though, and whether his absence in the dugout will negatively affect the West Yorkshire outfit remains to be seen.
The Peacocks should arguably be going into the fixture in high spirits, and they should be confident of replicating the result of the reverse fixture, which saw them beat the Blades 2-0 at home on 18 October.