Watford player Kwadwo Baah was shown the red card following his side's 2-1 win over Portsmouth in the Championship on Boxing Day (Dec 26) after he taunted the away fans and performed a Fortnite celebration after the final whistle was blown. With the match level at 1-1 and heading towards a draw,. Rocco Vata fired in a sensational effort in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn the full three points for Watford. However, during the celebrations, Mr Baah performed the 'Take the L' celebration, popularised by the battle royale game, which angered the opposition fans and players.
Mr Baah was instrumental in his team's victory at Vicarage Road as he won the penalty that allowed his team to equalise the tie. However, Portsmouth players contested that he was outside the box when the alleged offence took place. Mr Baah was already on a yellow card when he performed the dance as the referee flung another yellow, leading to the red card.
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho called out Mr Baah's behaviour, describing it as a "sackable offence". "We will never ever do that. If one of my players did that they would be in serious danger of never playing for the club again," said Mr Mousinho.
Watford boss Tom Cleverley struck back and said the opposition manager should not have commented about his players.
"To hear that John has been commenting on my players is disappointing. There was a group of players who kept their head during the second half and that was radiated from our bench," said Mr Cleverley.
"And there was a group that lost theirs, which was radiated from their bench. I'm disappointed with John's comments because his own behaviour was ultimately what cost his team in the second half. I won't aim anything at the referee - it was a difficult game to manage."
Notably, 'Take the L' dance is a Fortnite emote which stands for taking the loss. It is a phrase commonly used in online games. Apart from being used in Fortnite, French footballer Antoine Griezmann is often seen performing the step to celebrate when he scores for La Liga side, Atletico Madrid.
If Kwadwo Baah deserves a red card for this (after much lobbying by the Pompey bench), and the stick he took all game, then the game has gone. #watfordfc #pompey pic.twitter.com/Xdlsdk3dq4
— Peter Ryan (@peterryan9) December 26, 2024
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Fans react
Reacting to the news of the red card, fans across the footballing divide called out the referee for furnishing the card, despite the game being over.
"A Warning would have been fair but a straight Red card is just harsh, especially after the full-time whistle had gone," said one fan, while another added: "Games gone, sent off for a celebration. If fans get a bit wound up about that, they shouldn't be dishing it out."
A third commented: "Football is an entertainment business and this was entertaining. What's the problem?'
Despite the red card, Watford find themselves in contention for a promotion to the Premier League. At the end of the Boxing Day, the Hornets stood in sixth place, having secured 37 points in 22 matches.
