Andre Ayew expressed his frustration after receiving a red card during his return to the French Ligue 1 with Le Havre.
The Black Stars captain, appearing in his first Ligue 1 game in eight years since departing Marseille in 2015, received a straight red card just two minutes after being substituted on in the match against Nantes on Sunday.
The 33-year-old collided with Eray Comert in a 50-50 ball situation, leading to his expulsion. Many fans on social media deemed the decision harsh.
In a post-match interview with Le Havre's media team, Ayew shared his perspective on the incident, emphasizing that he had no intention of injuring the opposing player.
“It’s true that what happened was frustrating, but that’s football. I think that with some experience, we can look at some situations in hindsight but I am rather calm after I looked at the images.
“On the incident, this is what I made of it. There was a 50-50 ball, and we went in before I did. I saw that he had dived in and I lifted my foot.
“In the process, I tried to land to regain and in regaining my footing, I stepped on his shin guard.
“At that moment, the referee gave his decision, but that’s football. I did not have any intention to hurt him no matter what especially on my debut and return to Ligue 1.
“It’s true that when he touches the ball, he had a lifted foot but mine was too and he got his foot under my heel. That’s what happened, and I did not mean to hurt him. An incident like this happening on my return to Ligue 1 is tough to take.”