Essien slams referee for yellow card

A heartbroken Michael Essien slammed German referee Markus Merk for a “ridiculous” early booking which will keep the Chelsea star out of Ghana’s second-round clash with Brazil.

The 23-year-old midfielder up his second yellow card of the tournament when he slid into Claudio Reyna just five minutes into the Black Stars’ historic 2-1 victory over the United States.