Referee refuses to book Kudus after Atsu tribute

Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus was met with an unusual response from the referee after the Ghana International took his shirt off displaying a tribute to the late Christian Atsu following a brilliant freekick in Ajax's 4-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday.

Kudus curled one in and rolled his shirt up to his shoulders displaying a message which read 'RIP Atsu'- a tribute to his compatriot who was found dead in the Turkey-Syria Earthquake.

The 22-year-old very naturally would have been presented with a yellow card by the referee because of the act but Kudus was not booked because the match official, Pol van Boekel, understood that the issue was 'bigger than the rules of football'.

"This is bigger than the rules of football, it's about life and death. The referee said it was not allowed, but he understood the situation. I am grateful to him for that and I respect him very much," Kudus told ESPN post-match.

"This one was for Christian.Everyone knows what happened in Turkey. I chose this because he is dear to me. It's natural for all those families that are affected. I learned a lot from watching him, he also regularly gave me advice. Everything I gave today was for him. If I hadn't scored, I would have shown the shirt after the game," he added.

It was confirmed on Saturday that former Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton winger Atsu was among those to have lost their lives in the tragic earthquakes that have devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria.

Tributes have poured in for the 31-year-old Hatayspor midfielder since it was revealed that his body had been removed from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building.