Willems red card rescinded after referee admits error

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The red card shown to PSV Eindhoven defender Jetro Willems after just 29 seconds into the league match against NAC Breda has been rescinded after the referee admitted he had shown it in error, the Dutch football association KNVB said on Wednesday.

The international fullback will face no further sanction, KNVB said in a statement.

Willems was dismissed by referee Kevin Blom on Tuesday for a wild challenge on Gill Swerts although the NAC player avoided any contact by jumping out of the way.

It was the quickest red card shown in Dutch league history, beating the one minute and 19 seconds it took before Ivory Coast international Bonaventure Kalou was sent off for Feyenoord at Heerenveen in 2001.

After reviewing television images of the incident, the referee decided he had made a mistake and reported it to the KNVB. Subsequently Willems is available for PSV’s next game on Saturday at home to Utrecht.

NAC failed to take advantage of the numerical superiority and were beaten 2-0 by Dutch league leaders PSV.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)