Xavi Simons made his opinion clear after Leeds defender Jayden Bogle escaped punishment for his challenge on Tottenham forward Mathys Tel

Xavi Simons slammed the decision not to send off Jayden Bogle in Leeds' 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur by using his own red card controversy as a comparison.

The three-match winning streak of Roberto De Zerbi's side came to an end at Elland Road on Saturday with Noah Okafor's late strike lifting the home side to their first Premier League win since mid-September.

The loss is no doubt a hit to Spurs' momentum, but it was Leeds defender Bogle's first-half challenge on Mathys Tel that resulted in furore among the Frenchman's team-mates. Bogle planted his foot on the back of Tel's ankle, who was in need of medical assistance after the foul.

A five-minute VAR check was conducted by Tony Harringtonto determine whether the Englishman's challenge was worthy of a sending-off. The findings of the lengthy review saw Bogle not handed a red card, while Tel was forced off for Dominic Solanke before the break.

Referee John Brooks initially didn't shown a yellow card to Bogle, meaning the defender was able to escape punishment altogether. Simons - who is set to return to training later this month - was left in disbelief over the decision and took to social media to display his frustration.

The Dutchman was at the centre of his own VAR drama last season, when he committed a similar foul to Bogle's on Virgil van Dijk during Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in December 2025.

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The Spurs attacker was initially shown a yellow card for the challenge on his international team-mate by Brooks, who also took charge of that league clash. However, the official was told to review the tackle on the pitchside monitor and subsequently rescinded Simons' yellow to give him a straight red.

The similarity in the two tackles, yet a difference in the punishment given saw Simons post screenshots of both challenges on his Snapchat story, writing the caption: "Difference?"

Simons' annoyance was shared by club captain Micky van de Ven who discussed his reaction to the challenge after the game. The centre-back said: "When I saw the impact from the side, I knew straight away.

"I went to the referee and said, 'This is a hard challenge.' I think it says enough that they're going to check it. So when the VAR needs so long to check it, you can always call the ref to have a look by himself."