Gabby Logan delivered a brutal quip about Wayne Rooney‘s hair on the latest edition of Match of the Day. BBC pundit Rooney was weighing in on Dan Ballard’s dismissal during Sunderland’s draw with Wolves on Saturday. The defender was shown a red card in the first half at Molineux after referee Paul Tierney consulted the pitch-side monitor to review the incident involving Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare.
Sunderland defender Ballard was adjudged to have tugged his opponent’s hair, which was ruled as violent conduct. The decision proved to be a pivotal moment in the match as the Black Cats were forced to play the majority of it with 10 men, before eventually conceding to finish 1-1. It sparked a discussion on Match of the Day regarding how the regulations surrounding hair pulling are being enforced and whether the act should automatically be classified as violent conduct.
Injecting some levity into the debate, Manchester United legend Rooney remarked with a mischievous grin: “That’s why I didn’t grow a ponytail when I was playing.”
Logan, not missing a beat, fired back: “And that’s not the only reason, let’s be honest,” leaving fellow pundit Joe Hart in fits of laughter.
Both the presenter and Rooney were alluding to the fact that the former striker sported shaved or receding hair for virtually the entirety of his playing career, making such a style wholly impractical.
Turning to the more pressing matter, Rooney expressed his disbelief at the harshness with which hair pulling incidents have been dealt with in the Premier League this season.
He said: “I just can’t believe I’m sitting on Match of the Day talking about players getting sent off for pulling hair. I think it’s ridiculous. I think if that’s the rule, the rule has to change because it’s getting absolutely ridiculous.
“When you are playing, it is a physical game and you do grab on to the shirt, you are trying to get an upper hand on your opponent. And sometimes if there’s a big flock of hair, then you’re going to grab it at some point.”
Logan, meanwhile, highlighted the absence of clarity within the existing framework.
She said: “Because there is a grey area. There has to be some nuance. And of course, at the moment, it sits in violent conduct. And there will be some which are violent, but not all.”
Hart added: “I’ve seen a lot more violent things happen this weekend and none of them punished for it.”
Ballard became the third player this season to receive his marching orders for hair pulling.
Arokodare was also on the receiving end of a hair pull by Michael Keane in January, while Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was shown a red for something similar on Dominic Calvert-Lewin last month.