Darren Eadie, a former Norwich City and Leicester City winger, was sent off only four times in his career, the most notable being in the FA Cup against Arsenal in January 2000.
Eadie had recently joined the Foxes from the Canaries, after Leicester paid a club record £3 million for his services in December 1999.
Getting sent off for two bookable offences early in your career at a club does not make the best first impression, but neither Leicester fans nor manager Martin O’Neill held this red card against him.
The match was marred by controversy because of how referee Mark Riley officiated it, and the Northern Irish manager described the judgment as “ludicrous.”
It wasn’t simply the manner of the second yellow, but also the fact that the wideman was able to play for a few more minutes after receiving two yellow cards before being dismissed.
Darren Eadie explains why he was sent off against Arsenal in 2000.
Mark Riley had a distinguished officiating career, overseeing several cup finals in the early 2000s and representing England at the 2004 European Championships.
However, the 0-0 draw he officiated in the FA Cup fourth round match between Leicester and Arsenal in January 2000 did not make him the most popular man on either side.
Riley handed 10 yellow cards in what reports claim was not the dirtiest of games, two of which were given to Eadie…though he didn’t notice it for a few minutes.
Eadie, who had previously been booked for a challenge on Freddie Llungberg, received a second yellow card for time-wasting eight minutes later. Normally, this results in a red card, but the referee continued the game.
In a recent X post, Eadie revealed that he would have probably stayed on the pitch if the scoreboard at Highbury hadn’t already indicated that he had been carded earlier on.
“Stayed on for about five mins before the ref realised that it was my second [yellow],” the caption stated.
“Large scoreboard and a stadium full of Gunners alerted him to his mistake.”
Darren Eadie’s brief stint with Leicester City had plenty of highs to counterbalance the questionable red card.
Manager Martin O’Neil deemed the red card judgment “poor,” citing the fact that many other players are seen getting away with similar time-wasting, while Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believes Robbie Savage should have also been sent off for a challenge on Kanu.
So Riley wasn’t the most popular man following the 0-0 tie. Ironically, he’d go on to referee the replay, which the Foxes won on penalties.
Eadie will be known more for his time at Carrow Road than for his time at Leicester, where he played only 47 games before being forced to retire at the age of 28 due to persistent knee injuries.
However, he was able to celebrate alongside his team when they won the League Cup final in February 2000, despite being unable to play due to cup tie.
He was a useful option out wide for a Leicester side that enjoyed some success and runs in Europe during the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was healthy and available, and Foxes supporters will wonder if he could have helped stave off relegation in 2002 if he hadn’t been on the bench.
Despite those highs at Leicester, Eadie will always remember that one red card, and he and Foxes fans can laugh about how weird it was.
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