Sacramento Republic’s Nabi Kibunguchy has red card rescinded by independent panel

Nabi Kibunguchy received a red card in Sacramento Republic FC’s last game, a 2-0 loss to Orange County SC on Saturday, but it turns out what looked like a questionable call was indeed incorrect.

Kibunguchy appeared to have received a DOGSO (denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) straight red card for a foul just before halftime, but it appeared another Republic FC defender was in the immediate vicinity, which means he probably should have gotten only a yellow card for a robust challenge because it wasn’t truly a DOGSO foul.

On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced that following a review from an independent panel, Kibunguchy’s red card has been rescinded and he will not have to serve a suspension on Wednesday against Las Vegas Lights FC. In that regard, the injustice many around Republic FC felt regarding the call and the officiating of the game overall has been addressed to an extent.

Of course, in the moment, the incorrect red card did put Sac Republic at a man disadvantage for more than a half, while Mitchell Taintor’s red card that came late in the second half (which was officially upheld by the league) put the club down another man on the night.

But, at least they partially rectified what looked like a bad call, so Kibunguchy will be eligible for selection on Wednesday. And hopefully we won’t see more bad calls in the future (she says, with her fingers crossed hard...).

What do you think? Leave a comment below.