PGMOL chairman Howard Webb is not convinced that Diogo Dalot’s challenge on Jeremy Doku during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Man City deserved a red card, but he believes VAR was right not to intervene.
Dalot avoided a red card for his tackle on Doc in the 10th minute, but former Premier League referee Mike Dean believed he was “100 per cent” sent off.
The Manchester United defender was only shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor, with VAR’s Craig Pawson upholding the on-field decision.
Analyzing the Mic’d Up decision, Webb said: “Was there excessive force? Some would say yes. I haven’t gotten to that point, but I think it’s possible.”
“It’s a subjective decision… but I fully agree that once that decision is made on the field, it’s up to the referee and VAR doesn’t intervene.”
He added: “I think this is a game where the referee’s decision should be made on the field. We have said that we will do so given various considerations.”
“I think there are pros and cons, so in this situation it was right to leave it to the referee’s decision.
“If there had been a red, I would have expected a red card as well.”
“Freeze frame and slow motion make the situation look like a red card”
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Former Premier League referee Mike Dean claims Dalot should have been shown a red card for challenging Doc
Man City manager Josep Guardiola felt Dalot should have been sent off after an early foul on Jeremy Doku.
However, VAR’s Pawson upheld Taylor’s on-field decision and believed the contact was a “glimpse and not force”.
“When you play in real time at full speed, you find that the action doesn’t have as much speed, it doesn’t have as much intensity,” Webb said.
“We were heavily criticized a few years ago for our use of slow motion and freeze frames. That’s not reality. That’s not how the game is played. Slowing things down makes it look much worse, and it does. Freezing frames can make a lot of situations look like red card violations.
“So it’s hard to hear people judge this just by analyzing freeze frames and slow motion and think it’s red based on that.
“Yes, it may be red, but we have to think about the need to look at full speed. We’ve been doing that for a while now. When people said a while ago, ‘Let’s stop using slow motion as the primary way we analyze these situations,’ we thought that was a fair criticism. And we listen and we agree. And we play it at full speed. And then we slow it down a little bit to see the exact touch points that take that into account.
“But if you don’t have speed, power and intensity, you’re unlikely to get a red card.”
Keane and Richards feel Dalot should have been sent off.
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Roy Keane, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge react to Dalot’s challenge to Doc
Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards both felt Dalot should have been sent off.
Speaking at half-time at Old Trafford, Keane said: “Doc is definitely helping him (not going down). I’m not an expert on red cards, but I think it’s a red card.”
Richards said: “He (Dalot) is on his knee. It’s a clear red card as you can see. What more do you want?!”
Dermot: That’s a red card.
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On Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd discuss why Dalot was lucky not to be sent off.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher told Ref Watch:
“I thought it was a red card.
“He went up high and went straight-footed. He hit the studs on the knee. The ball wasn’t there, it was gone. So for me it’s a red card, but for other people it’s not a red card.”
Former Cardiff and England striker Jay Bothroyd agreed with Gallagher on Ref Watch.
“I can’t believe Dalot tried to appeal the yellow card. It’s a terrible challenge.
“The first priority of any referee is the safety of the players. When you see a challenge like that, Doc could have really gotten hurt.
“For me, it wasn’t a glancing blow. His studs were up, above his ankles. I don’t understand why it wasn’t a red card.”
“It’s a terrible decision. It’s going to be one of the worst decisions of the season.”
How VAR decided not to intervene on Dalot’s tackle
Mic’d Up reveals the full transcript between referee Taylor, VAR Pawson and assistant VAR Adrian Holmes, showing how officials decided to uphold Taylor’s on-field yellow card decision…
See: “You’ll get a yellow card, it’s obvious.”
VAR: “Yes, he does. There is a slight contact on the knee. No force, but there is a slight contact. He tries to play the ball and catches it with a slight contact. A slight contact, no force. He tries to play the ball, flicks it, misses the ball, catches it on the follow-through. I’m happy to confirm the decision on the field.”
AAR: “How fast is he coming in?”
VAR: “He doesn’t do that. He’s working a little bit slowly.”
AVAR: “He’s checking his feet, isn’t he?”
VAR: “Yeah. Tails (Anthony Taylor) confirms the yellow card for Manchester United’s number two (Diogo Dalot). He tries to play the ball, misses the ball and then makes contact with a glancing knee. There was no force or intensity, but he caught him on the follow-through.”
