PGMOL chief executive Howard Webb is not convinced that Diogo Dalot’s challenge on Jeremy Doku during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Manchester City merited a red card, but is confident VAR was right not to intervene.
Dalot avoided a red card for a 10-minute tackle on Doku, which former Premier League referee Mike Dean believed was “100 per cent” a red card.
The Manchester United defender only received a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor, with VAR Craig Pawson backing up the on-field decision.
Analyzing decisions about Microphone is onWebb said: “Is there excessive force? Some would say yes. I’m not there yet, but I can see that there could be.
“It is a subjective judgment, but I completely agree that once a decision is made on the field, it should be left to the referee’s call and VAR should not intervene.”
He added: “I think that’s where the referee’s call should be on the pitch. We said we would do that where there was a mix of different considerations.”
“I think it was right to leave it to the referee’s call in this situation because I think there was a mix-up.
“If a red card had been issued, you would have expected it to remain the same.”
‘Freeze frames and slow motion make things look like red cards.’
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Former Premier League referee Mike Dean claimed Dalot should have been shown a red card for his challenge on Doku.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola felt Dalot should have been sent off after an early foul on Jeremy Doku.
However, VAR Pawson defended Taylor’s on-field decision, believing the contact was “a wink, not a force”.
Webb said: “If you play at full speed in real time, you’ll notice that the action isn’t as fast-paced and the intensity isn’t as high.
“We got a lot of flak for using slow motion and freeze frame a few years ago, because people said this isn’t real. That’s not how the game is played. If you slow it down, it can look a lot worse. Yes, freeze frame can make a lot of situations look like red card violations.
“So it’s hard to hear people analyzing just freeze frames and slow motion and determining what’s red about this.
“Yes, it may be red, but you have to think about the need to see it at full speed. We’ve been doing that for a while now. A while back, when people were saying, ‘Don’t use slow motion as your main way to analyze these situations,’ we thought that was a fair criticism. And we listen and we agree. And we play it at full speed. Then we slow it down a little to make sure we hit the right tangents to take that into account.
“But without speed, power and intensity, there is little chance of a red card.”
Keane and Richards believe Dalot should have been sent off.
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Roy Keane, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge react to Dalot’s challenge to Doku.
sky sports Pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards both felt Dalot should have been sent off.
At half-time at Old Trafford, Keane said: “Doku definitely helps him (by not being so still). I’m not a red card expert, but I think it’s a red card.”
Richards said: “He (Dalot) is on his knees. That’s as clear a red card as you’ll ever see. What more do you want?!”
Dermot: Red card.
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In Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd discuss why Dalot was lucky not to be sent off.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher is speaking. reference clock:
“I thought it was a red card.
“He went up high and hit him with his straight leg. He hit his knee with the studs. The ball wasn’t there and it was gone so it’s a red card for me but not for everyone else.”
Former Cardiff and England striker Jay Bothroyd agreed with Gallafger. reference clock:
“I can’t believe Dalot tried to appeal the yellow card. It’s a terrible challenge.
“A referee’s first priority is the safety of the players. Seeing that challenge could have really hurt Doku.
“For me it wasn’t a striking blow. His studs are up and above his ankles. I don’t understand how that wasn’t a red card.
“It’s a terrible decision. It will be one of the worst decisions of the season.”
How VAR decided not to intervene in the Dalot tackle
to mic up, The full transcript of the match between Taylor referee VAR Pawson and assistant VAR Adrian Holmes has been released, showing how the referees concluded to defer to Taylor’s on-field yellow card decision.
Ref: “I’m going to get my yellow card. I can see it at a glance.”
VAR: “Yes, he has gliding contact on his knee. He has no power, but he has gliding contact. He tried to play the ball but caught him with gliding contact. The gliding contact has no power. He tried to play the ball, flicked it, missed the ball and caught him with a follow-through. Glad to confirm the on-field decision.”
AVAR: “How fast does he get in?”
VAR: “He’s not like that. He’s a little slow.”
AVAR: “He doesn’t check his steps?”
VAR: “Yes. Tayls (Anthony Taylor) checks for a yellow card on Manchester United 2 (Diogo Dalot). He tries to play the ball in, misses it, then hits the eye with his knee. No power or intensity, but he catches him with a follow-through.”
