Jerry Yates and Japhet Tanganga were involved in a physical altercation
What happened between Jerry Yates and Tanganga?
Swansea striker Jerry Yates was involved in an off-the-ball physical altercation with Millwall centre-back Japhet Tanganga on the final matchday of the EFL Championship. Yates, who came on as a substitute, was spotted tangling with Tanganga and they had to be separated. Both players were sent off for their actions.
While it’s unclear what caused the reactions from Yates, it seemingly stemmed from something that Yates was told by Tanganga. The striker appeared to hold Tanganga and even tried to throw a punch. Swansea coach Luke Wiliams said after the match (via BBC):
“I’ve watched the action back. He [Yates] is certainly antagonised but he reacts badly. It’s unfortunate because there’s going to be a hangover for that one next season [with a suspension]. It’s a big shame really.”
While Williams claimed that Yates was antagonized, he claimed that both him and Tanganga deserved red cards. Williams said:
“I don’t want to put the blame on one of those guys because they’re both involved. They both deal with it in the wrong way. Someone can antagonise you and you can choose how you react. Both of them deserved to get sent off. Neither of them are innocent and none of them are solely responsible.”
Watch the incident below:
Luke Williams confirms Jerry Yates has apologized to Swansea teammates after the incident with Japhet Tanganga
Swansea finish the season in the 14th place of the Championship table with 57 points from 46 matches while Millwall finished 13th, with two points more than Swansea. While the season has come to a close, Jerry Yates’ red card means that the suspension will carry on to the next season. Luke Williams has now revealed that Yates has apologized to his teammates for his actions. He said (via BBC):
“Yeah, he knows he shouldn’t have done that. These boys are very competitive, very athletic and if you catch them in the wrong moment, something like this can happen. It’s happened many times before and he won’t be the last to do a silly action. He got emotional and reacted badly.”
Jerry Yates finishes the season with nine goals and one assist to his name in 48 appearances across competitions. He netted eight times in 43 Championship appearances.
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