CHRIS WOOD was booked after being subbed off following a hat-trick for New Zealand… due to signing autographs for kids.
The Nottingham Forest star, 33, continued his superb season form with a treble in the Kiwis’ 7-0 World Cup qualifier win over Fiji.
GettyChris Wood signed autographs for kids in the stands after netting a hat-trick for New Zealand[/caption]
GettyThe Nottingham Forest ace was booked as the game was still being played[/caption]
Wood already has 18 Premier League goals for Forest, helping them go third in the table.
And his stunning stats made him an obvious target for young fans hunting for autographs.
Wood was subbed off during the second half after bagging his third strike on the hour mark.
As kids scrambled to get his coveted signature, the hitman duly obliged by leaving the bench and climbing into the stands.
Wood signed several autographs and even posed for some pictures.
But the referee was not having it and duly dished out a yellow card to the forward.
Wood attempted to protest his innocence, but Fifa regulations prohibit players from going into the stands without permission.
Wood defended himself afterwards, saying: “I was just trying to do something nice and sign for the fans.”
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And he received plenty of backing on social media from other supporters who were left outraged by the booking.
One said: “Game has gone, ban the ref.”
Another declared: “Ref’s trying to be the main character.”
One noted: “Football is for the fans, people forget that.”
Another added: “Utter woke nonsense.”
Despite the yellow card, Wood is now focused on beating New Caledonia as New Zealand look to seal their spot at next year’s World Cup.
He said: “We know how good New Caledonia are and we’re going to have to be ready for them.
“We know they’re going to cause us problems. We need to focus on doing recovery well now and be ready to go.”
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