Okumu was dismissed after earning two yellow cards in quick succession after furiously lashing out at the referee for handing out a dubious yellow card
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu endured a frustrating night as he was controversially sent off in Stade de Reims’ 2-1 defeat to FC Nantes on Sunday.
The 27-year-old was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for protesting refereeing decisions, reducing Reims to ten men in the dying moments of the game.
His dismissal proved costly, as the hosts failed to find an equaliser and suffered a narrow loss at home.
Joseph Okumu opens up on life in Ligue 1 ever since completing a switch from Belgian outfit Gent to Reims.
Okumu has had a frustrating season which has seen him limited to only 11 Ligue 1 appearances due to injury woes.
Reims, fresh from an impressive performance against Paris Saint-Germain, had hoped to build momentum against Nantes
They started brightly, with Junya Ito forcing an early save (2′) and Valentin Atangana missing a header (6′).
However, Nantes responded quickly, with Mostafa Mohamed testing goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf after a well-timed pass from Matthis Abline (9′).
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The Harambee Stars defender was forced to miss Reims’ clash against high-flying PSG last week.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 17th minute when the referee initially awarded Nantes a penalty and sent off John Patrick for a challenge on Simon. After a VAR review, both the penalty and red card were overturned.
Reims continued to push forward, creating several chances. Joseph Okumu came close with a header from a set piece (33′), while Amine Salama narrowly missed the target (35′). Despite their pressure, it was Nantes who broke the deadlock, with Abline calmly slotting past Diouf in the 42nd minute (0-1).
Reims found an immediate response just before halftime when Jean-Charles Castelletto inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net from a corner (1-1, 45+1′).
Nantes reclaimed the lead in the 70th minute when Abline set up Mohamed for a clinical finish (1-2). Reims threw everything forward in search of an equalizer, including a late surge that saw goalkeeper Diouf attempt a header from a corner (90+1′).
In a moment of frustration, Okumu was booked twice in quick succession for dissent, sealing Reims’ fate with his late sending-off.
The decision sparked debate, with many questioning whether the punishment was too harsh. With this defeat, Reims missed an opportunity to climb the Ligue 1 standings, while Okumu will now serve a suspension in the club’s next fixture.
