So what's a referee for?

Yes! sure! red!

PSV's Dirk Marcellis went straight for Zenden's ankle. No ball was played. He could have crippled him, if the timing had been a bit different. No real harm intended maybe, who's to say... But this kind of play should be punished. As far as I'm concerned Rosetti did a very good job here.

So what IS a referee for?

A referee is supposed to make a match run smoothly, to allow for the best of play. A send off is a very destructive decision, that goes against this rule. But a referee is also on the field to protect the players. The more technical and skillful a player is the greater his chances of being fouled. And we especially want these players' magic preserved.