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Football London
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Jake Stokes

'Corruption!' - Chelsea fans enraged over Cristian Romero and Marc Cucurella hair-pull decision

Large sections of the Chelsea fanbase are enraged by the final verdict issued of the hair-pull incident in the Blues' 2-2 draw with Tottenham. In the buildup to Spurs' equaliser in stoppage time, the north Londoners were awarded a corner and, at which, Cristian Romero was seen grabbing a fistful of Marc Cucurella's hair before dragging the defender to the ground.

The referee, Antony Taylor, was pictured to have had a clear view of the altercation, though the decision was passed on to the Video Assistant Referees at Stockley Park. Romero's hair-pulling was reviewed and dismissed Chelsea's claims of violent misconduct.

Taylor signalled for Tottenham to take the proceeding corner which saw Harry Kane glance a header beyond Mendy at the far post. After the final whistle, red mist descended on Stamford Bridge and yet another clash between Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel was seen, resulting in the referee sending both off.

READ MORE: Why Thiago Silva shouted at Kalidou Koulibaly as Chelsea beat Everton but prepare for Spurs test

Fans across the world and former professionals of the game - including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Cesc Fabregas - flooded social media to question Taylor's decision. And, to many supporters' surprise, there will be no further action regarding Cucurella and Romero's entanglement yesterday, according to Simon Stone of the BBC.

It's said that VAR reviewed it and decided not a red card, therefore no retrospective action can be taken. Confused and baffled by the ultimatum, fans have made their feelings on the decision.

@StonedWildMan said: "And there we go. Thats what corruption looks like. VAR and referees should be targeted daily till this is resolved."

@_Byrie11: "Such a stupid precedent to set. Then again it’s not like they’ve ever pretended to care about being consistent."

@Cai_CFC: "PGMOL and the FA are a complete joke."

@P_Ferguson91: "Either Taylor and Dean are jealous of Cucurella's hair or they just don't understand the concept of hair."

@SiPhillipsSport: "Tuchel isn’t allowed to speak the truth but you ARE allowed to grab a player by his hair and throw him to the ground. Yet all I’m seeing is nonsense tweets from those taking the ‘higher ground’."

@GlennJalenCamby: "Blatant thievery! So gutted by these officials and VAR in our game yesterday. It's unacceptable in every form!"

It's fair to say that the decision has ruffled view feathers. Well, in Cucurella's case, hair...

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