This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
On Tuesday, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard spoke out in support of defender Antonio Rudiger, who was criticized by Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho for his role in the sending off of Son Heung-min in Sunday's 2-0 derby win.
Referee Anthony Taylor produced a straight red card after a VAR review, leaving Spurs with 10 men for the last half hour of the match.
According to reports, Mourinho had taken a dig at Rudiger, who was also allegedly racially abused after the incident, for going down too easily, telling him to 'stand up and play.'
Lampard disagreed with Mourinho's assessment, stating that the red card was the correct decision.
'With Toni and this incident, when he's having to post after the game about something that we know is a huge deal, I think to question his integrity in that time is disappointing,' Lampard told reporters ahead of Thursday's game against Southampton.
He added that he wouldn't question Rudiger's integrity on the matter, saying 'I wouldn't question Toni's integrity on that.'
Meanwhile, British media reported on Tuesday that Spurs had failed in their appeal to the Football Association to get Son's ban overturned, and the forward will miss the next three games.
Rudiger had urged Tottenham on Twitter to find and punish the individuals who allegedly directed racist abuse at him during the match, and the club confirmed they were investigating the incident with the help of CCTV footage.
