PGMOL chief Howard Webb has defended VAR’s decision to give Arsenal’s William Saliba a red card during their defeat to Bournemouth.
Saliba was initially shown a yellow card for his challenge on Bournemouth forward Evanlison, before VAR intervened and advised referee Rob Jones to review the incident, leading him to change his decision to a red card.
Howard Webb Clarifies Why VAR Stepped In
Webb later clarified why VAR’s intervention led to the red card, stating on Match Officials Mic’d Up that the yellow card was a “clear and obvious error.”
“There’s two things that VAR can do here to prove that the on-field decision was wrong,” Webb explained. “Firstly, you can see that Ben White is a long way away. He’s not going to get to Evanlison from that position.
“And then secondly, they can see that David Raya is backing off, and when the ball dies in front of Evanilson, even though it’s some distance from goal, he’s going to get on to that ball. He’s going to have time to gain nice control just for the goalkeeper to beat.
“So, for me, a good intervention by the VAR, a clear and obvious error in not showing a red card on the field.”
The number of assumptions that Howard Webb casually states as facts to back the William Saliba red card decision is baffling.
"You can see that Ben White is a long way away and will not catch Evanilson." – That's an assumption.
"When the ball dies in front of Evanilson, even… pic.twitter.com/0xGdqlNq2J— Jaja (@JajaBreed) November 12, 2024
Webb Highlights Difference Between Arsenal and Chelsea Red Card Incidents
Webb’s comments didn’t end with Saliba’s red card. He also referenced a similar incident involving Chelsea’s Tosin Adarabioyo in their match against Liverpool the following day.
Adarabioyo’s challenge resulted in a yellow card rather than a sending off, sparking questions about the consistency of such decisions.
Webb explained that, in Chelsea’s case, defender Levi Colwill was positioned close enough to influence Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, diminishing the clarity of a goal-scoring opportunity and therefore justifying the yellow card.
“Colwill has a lot of time to get back from a close position to Jota and undoubtedly would have been able to impact the obviousness of this situation, I think,” he said.
