I can't believe anyone is clutching at straws in order to minimise this situation.
He wasn't sent off for nothing at all. You can 'pretend' that the press 'made it up' (in which case Songo'o can sue the newspaper) or that your ears were 'tuned in' to that word, as opposed to the actual word that the ref heard, but presumably, you can't explain why the actual word can't be heard on the audio? You seriously think that someone shouted something that sounded like the homophobic abuse, but wasn't, at exactly the same time as Song'o whispered something offensive enough to the ref, that he got sent off?