PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AFP) — Ottmar Hitzfeld laid the blame for Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami’s red card in yesterday’s 0-1 loss to Chile firmly at the door of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.

West Ham’s Behrami was sent off after half an hour for appearing to elbow Vidal in the face.

After the tussle Vidal of Bayer Leverkusen fell to the ground, with Saudi Arabia referee Saudi Arabian referee Khalil Al Ghamdi promptly giving Behrami his marching orders.

The incident swung the game in Chile’s favour with the South Americans making their numerical supremacy pay with a 75th-minute goal from Mark Gonzalez.

Hitzfeld though was incensed with the behaviour of Vidal.

“I was angry about the red card, of course I was angry,” he said. “I was only two metres away when Vidal fell down with a lot of drama.

“It wasn’t a red card, it wasn’t even a yellow card. It was unfair of Vidal to roll around on the ground asking for the red card.

“With 11 players against 11 we would have had our chances.”

Behrami himself not surprisingly completely agreed with Hitzfeld’s take on the incident.

“I said sorry to my teammates and they told me ‘you don’t need to apologise for that because it was astonishing’,” said Behrami.

“Vidal was acting. In the tackle I was going for the ball, I had no need to touch him. I felt a contact and I lost my balance so I moved my hands and I touched him here (pointing to his neck) and he put his hand here (pointing to his face) — that is incredible.”

Vidal for his part insisted that Behrami had indeed made contact but that the referee had overreacted.