It was fair to say that both managers had a different vision.
Brentford boss Frank, who saw his side earn their second away point of the season, spoke first at his press conference and when asked if it should have been a red card, said: “Yes. As I understand the rules, Don’t wave your hand to hurt someone you can, whether you hurt him or not.
“So we’ve got VAR. It’s done, we’ve got to do it [VAR] Better in the future.”
But Brighton boss Fabian Herzeler, whose side have now gone six games without a Premier League win, did not see the incident the same way.
When asked about Frank’s words, he replied: “It’s an interesting opinion, I see it completely differently. For me it’s not a red card, why would it be a red card? You just try to get rid of somebody.”
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, speaking to Amazon Prime, said: “If we look at the laws of the game as they are written, it has to be ‘hitting an opponent or attempting to hit an opponent’.
“He cannot be sent off the field for contact because there was no contact. So, whether he tried to hit the opponent.
“The more I look at it, because it’s an unusual action, especially from behind he’s looking at Andy Madley when he swings his arm. He puts his arm quite close to his body and I think it’s more of a gesture towards the referee.
“Andy Madley is in a very good position. Joao Pedro couldn’t have been sent off for contact but he could have been sent off for attempting contact. I believe it’s more of a gesture than an attempted strike.
“I think Joao Pedro made a gesture to the referee but if he wanted to swing and use brutality he would have put his hand out and made contact.”
