HAL - ball to the face - yellow or red?

[deusex]

Drogba got sent off in the ECL FINAL for a strike of similar force.
There is no way a red for this would ever get overturned.
You can argue for a caution but you simply cannot argue that an RC for this is incorrect in law

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

@Padfoot
There's no malice, no aggression, !

I don't think the claim could possibly be made that deliberately striking somebody's face has no aggression.
While I think it's a red, I don't think a caution is a grievous enough error for intervention from authorities.
And the only full-speed replay is likely to be geoblocked, so only those of you using a VPN would be able to access it. It doesn't look any better full speed.

 

[bloovee]

Would it be a red if thrown in your face?

That's not the be-all and end-all of it, but that player's head jerking back is not just a reaction to the sight of the ball coming his way.