Was Robin van Persie unlucky to see red in Arsenal's defeat at Barcelona, or just plain stupid?
Kicking the ball away once the whistle has blown is a bookable offence. Everybody, Van Persie included, knows that.
He claims he could not hear the whistle in the cauldron that is the Camp Nou, filled to the brim as it was with over 95,000 spectators.
Now, the efficiency of the Dutchman's ear as a sound detector may be open to speculation, but closer analysis of the controversial incident reveals serious discrepancies between the (very audible) post-match bleatings coming out of the Arsenal camp and what actually happened.
The reality is that the crowd were relatively subdued as Van Persie raced through on goal, the flag went up and the whistle sounded. After all, which home crowd gets excited when the opposition is presented with a genuine opportunity to score? They should be frozen in fear, silently glued to their seats and dreading what might be about to happen.
The only roar capable of drowning out a shrill peep came as Van Persie's shot hit the side netting and the home crowd registered their disapproval at the player's continuation of play - after the Swiss official had blown his whistle.
Van Persie's reaction to his 'miss' was also telling. It was a glorious 'chance' to score and had he genuinely failed to hear the whistle, would his initial reaction to firing off target not have been a little more dramatic? A rueful look skywards at the very least?
Instead there was nothing, suggesting that Van Persie knew it wouldn't have counted even if he had managed to beat Victor Valdes at his near post. He may even have seen the flag go up, as he was facing the assistant referee when he turned onto the ball.
The complaints seem to be nothing more than an attempt to lay blame for the result elsewhere when the truth is that Arsenal were comprehensively outplayed both before Van Persie disappeared down the tunnel, and after.
Barca were magnificent from the outset while Arsenal, even with 11 men on the pitch, failed to register a single shot on target.
Even when Nicklas Bendtner was played through on goal late on he failed to produce a strike on goal - a moment that was actually far more pivotal than Van Persie's dismissal.
Had the Dane lived up to his own grandiose expectations and found the back of the net, we would be talking about a magnificent result for Arsenal rather than a decision that Van Persie branded a "joke".
As it is, no one connected with Arsenal sees the situation they find themselves in as a laughing matter: a fortnight ago, they were still in with a shout of winning four trophies. Just two now remain.
And no amount of hot air about perceived poor refereeing decisions can mask the fact that Arsenal's season is teetering on a knife edge.
So to Saturday's FA Cup clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford, where Arsenal simply cannot afford to reel out any more excuses. Forget the blame game, nothing but victory will do.
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