Don Hutchinson amazed live on TNT Sports by ‘harsh’ Edson Alvarez call in West Ham United v Olympiacos

Don Hutchinson thought that Edson Alvarez’s first-half yellow card in West Ham’s match against Olympiacos in the Europa League was a “harsh” call.

During the first half of Thursday’s (9 November) match at the London Stadium, Alvarez received a warning for sliding in on Sotiris Alexandropoulos, the opponent.

Speaking about the match on TNT Sports, Hutchinson didn’t think a free kick should have been given, much less a yellow card.

He stated, “I don’t think it’s a foul” [9 November, 20:21]. “However, the yellow seems harsh if you’re giving a foul.”

Seven in 14

Alvarez need to be aware enough not to approach a player from behind, like he did with Alexandropoulos.

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Hutchinson, who played for West Ham for two stints, may not have thought it was a free kick at all because it was something players could get away with doing in the past.

The Mexico international has been booked seven times in 14 games this season in all competitions, so he is definitely no stranger to the referee’s book.

In fact, he had ten warnings in the Eredivisie for Ajax last season, which resulted in a ban that David Moyes could do without at the moment.

Alvarez’s style is centered around tough-tackling, though, yet he has “only” been sent off three times in his career, demonstrating his obvious understanding of where to draw the line.

It is difficult to envision him altering his style anytime soon given what we have seen of him thus far while wearing a West Ham shirt.

A teammate of Alvarez’s was criticized for something “stupid” he did during the same game, according to other West Ham reports.