November 13th 2024.
During a recent match against Bournemouth, William Saliba of Arsenal received a red card after a VAR intervention. Howard Webb, the PGMOL chief, has defended the decision made by VAR and stated that it was the right call. In the beginning, Saliba was given a yellow card after he brought down Evanilson near the halfway line. However, the VAR saw an issue with the initial judgement of the referee, Rob Jones, and after reviewing the footage on the pitchside monitor, Jones reversed his decision.
This resulted in Saliba receiving his first ever red card in his career and Arsenal facing a 1-0 loss. Due to the red card, Saliba was also unable to play in their next game against the top-ranked team, Liverpool. Arsenal had considered appealing the decision, but Webb explains that it would have been a futile effort as there was enough evidence to support the VAR's call. He also pointed out that the mistake made by Leandro Trossard, who passed the ball poorly and put Saliba in a difficult position, was the root cause of the initial error made by Jones.
Webb elaborated on the situation, stating that Saliba's actions denied Evanilson an obvious chance to score. He believed that the yellow card given by Jones was clearly incorrect and that the referees were put in a tough spot due to Trossard's mistake. He also mentioned that in situations like this, where there is a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, there is usually enough time to make a well-informed decision. However, in this case, the referees initially believed that Ben White was closer to Evanilson than he actually was and also had doubts about whether Evanilson would be able to control the ball.
Webb then explained the two key factors that proved the on-field decision was wrong. Firstly, the VAR footage showed that White was far away from Evanilson and would not have been able to stop him. Secondly, it was evident that David Raya, the goalkeeper, was backing off and Evanilson would have had enough time to control the ball and take a shot. In conclusion, Webb praised the VAR's intervention, stating that it was a clear and obvious error that needed to be corrected.
In other Arsenal news, the team faced a 1-0 loss against Bournemouth in the match where Saliba was sent off. If you want to stay updated on all things Arsenal, including news, exclusives, and analysis, make sure to sign up for our newsletter. Your privacy is important to us, and this site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
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