Jamie Vardy is likely to escape any retrospective action for planting his studs in Shkodran Mustafi’s face, despite a former referee suggesting it should have been a red card.

The Daily Mail write that Jamie Vardy is likely to escape retrospective action for his ‘clash’ with Shkodran Mustafi in Tuesday’s match against Arsenal. The Mail believe the FA will take no further action against the Leicester striker.

This is despite the fact that former referee Keith Hackett argues in The Telegraph that the referee should have given Vardy a red card for the incident.

Hackett writes that the referee should have consulted the VAR monitor to make the decision himself, as he did with Eddie Nketiah’s red card. In fairness, it’s the VAR officials’ job to tell the referee it’s worth looking at, and they didn’t.

My personal opinion at the time was the same as it is right now. Whilst I don’t believe Vardy meant to kick Mustafi in the face, I do think he swung his leg around with the intent to kick his opponent. He just didn’t realise what body part he’d make a connection with.

Given Nketiah picked up a red card for an incident with zero intent and no injury to the opponent, because it was dangerous, I’m not sure why Vardy should escape a red when he clearly had some intent and left a couple of bloody holes in Mustafi’s face.

Sadly, Vardy will play again in a few days time whilst Nketiah will miss the next week and a half.