Head coach Jindřich Trpišovský of Slavia Prague criticised Nigerian striker Peter Olayinka for head‑butting a Slovan Liberec defender, an incident that led to Olayinka’s dismissal in the 89th minute and may have cost Slavia three points in the Fortuna Liga on Saturday evening. At the time of the red card, Slavia were leading 2‑1, but they conceded after his ejection and the match ended in a 2‑2 draw.
Liberec opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Lukáš Červ benefited from a deflection by compatriot Igho Ogbu. Olayinka equalised four minutes later. Slavia retook the lead in the 65th minute after Gigli Ndefe fouled Olayinka in the box; Mick van Buren converted the resulting penalty. However, Victor Olatunji rescued a point for Liberec with a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sealing the 2‑2 stalemate.
In his post‑match comments, Trpišovský condemned Olayinka’s “unruly behaviour,” saying, “We will deal with it clearly. It was when we were leading 2‑1; there is no reason for such a reaction.” He added that Olayinka had been one of the best and most active players on the field, but his actions altered the outcome and he will be missed in upcoming games. “It’s an incomprehensible short circuit that has never happened in the five years he’s been here. We will definitely deal with it with him; I wonder what prompted his reaction in the first place.”
The Nigeria international has scored 10 league goals and provided five assists in 18 appearances this season, but he will miss Slavia’s next two matches as a result of the suspension.
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