Former Premier League referees Dermot Gallagher and Stephen Warnock dissect the controversial red card shown to Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly during their win against Wolves. The incident and subsequent VAR review ignited a debate about the decision's accuracy and the role of VAR in officiating.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and Stephen Warnock dissected the controversial red card shown to Arsenal 's Myles Lewis-Skelly during their victory over Wolves at Molineux. The incident occurred when Lewis-Skelly fouled Matt Doherty near the edge of the Wolves box, prompting referee Michael Oliver to issue a straight red card .
The decision was subsequently reviewed and confirmed by VAR official Darren England, who deemed Lewis-Skelly's challenge to constitute 'serious foul play'.Gallagher, offering his perspective, stated, 'I think it is breaking up a promising attack. That's my opinion and other referees see it differently. Lewis-Skelly realizes Doherty is away and his priority is to stop him quickly, and he flicks out. It's a very cynical foul but not a red card. It's not the worst decision in the world like people say. Referee Michael Oliver feels, and still feels, that he goes down his Achilles. If that's what he thinks, referees are told now that a tackle with studs down the Achilles has to be a red card. I don't think he does. It happens very quickly. But for me, I think it is a yellow card for stopping a promising attack. Is the challenge with brutality? Is it with malice? Is it gaining intensity and speed? I think not.'Warnock, meanwhile, argued that the VAR appeared hesitant to overturn Oliver's judgment, stating, 'I don't think it's a red - I also don't think it's the worst decision we've ever seen in football. There's been a lot made of this over the weekend and some people are going very over the top on it. I think it's the wrong decision. I think it's a flick of the ankle more than anything. It's a cynical foul, a tactical foul, which he knows he has to make because of Wolves breaking, but there's no malice in it. Yes, he catches him with his studs ever so slightly, but it's not a stomp down on him. My biggest thing is why has it not gone to VAR or why have VAR not asked Michael Oliver to go to the screen and look at the situation and talk about it? For me, the team have let the referee down. We're still getting this hierarchy talk. Michael Oliver's our number one referee; the VAR booth don't want to overturn his decision because they are frightened he's the main guy and our top referee and I think there's still that element of that talk going on. That's still an issue a lot of people were mentioning this weekend, rightly or wrongly.' Gallagher, elaborating on the VAR protocol, explained, 'I can't answer that. If the VAR would have said go over to the screen and have a look, see what you think. That is great in principle but that is not part of the protocol. It's got to be that the VAR thinks it is a clear and obvious error, then he recommends the referee to go to the screen. What happens next is up to the referee. If he had gone to the monitor he may well have held his ground. He might have still thought it was a red card. He still holds all the options. It didn't happen and the follow-up is it has caused massive, massive debate. It's also caused some very toxic and unnecessary follow-up. 'It's just a mistake', Gallagher conceded, adding, 'Freeze frame pictures are great for point of contact. That is all it is. it shows you where the boot lands. I think Michael Oliver has had an optical illusion. He's looking from behind and he sees the tackle go in. He thinks the studs have gone down the Achilles. They haven't and when you look at different angles you can see that. But when you show a still picture, everything changes. A still picture just shows the first four points of speed, intensity, where he's come from and where he's going. I feel for Oliver. He's made a genuine decision in view of his experience and his knowledge. He's one of the best referees in the world. He hasn't made that decision out of anything but what he sees is right. To his credit, he's done that and he has carried on with the game. He took a load of abuse at the time and then had to referee the rest of the game. In his view, he probably thinks he's got it right. In my view, it's just a mistake, but that is all it is.' Warnock condemned the vitriol directed at Oliver, stating, 'This is an opinion - his opinion. Whether it's right or wrong, you do not have the right to go on social media and vent your anger in that way. We get things wrong all the time - it's only our opinion. We receive all kinds of things on social media. People think they've got a right to do it, it's just society and the way it is at the moment. If they stood in a room with that person and confronted them, they wouldn't say a word. It's cowardly, it's pathetic.
VAR Football Premier League Red Card Controversy Refereeing Arsenal Wolves Dermot Gallagher Stephen Warnock
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