Former Premier League referee Chris Foy provides his view on a number of red card incidents from recent match rounds.
TV Info
Incident: Fabian Balbuena is shown a red card for a foul on Ben Chilwell after the VAR recommended the referee review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Foy’s view: This red card was later overturned after an appeal by West Ham United, but to explain the process, clearly on first viewing, the referee sees no foul and plays on. The VAR, who has the ability to watch the incident again, felt that Balbuena endangered the safety of his opponent when his follow-through caught Chilwell on his upper leg.
It is a pressurised situation sitting in the VAR chair, and while the VAR will always look at an incident in real-time first, he will also look at an incident in slow motion when required to determine things like the point of contact.
This is what happened here, and the VAR felt there was sufficient evidence for the referee to look again. I agree with the decision to overturn the red card as it should not have been one, but we should remember that VARs are human beings and mistakes happen.
TV Info
Incident: Jannik Vestergaard is shown a red card for a foul on Jamie Vardy as the Leicester City striker runs through on goal.
Foy’s view: This red card was also overturned after an appeal. Vestergaard clearly gets the ball before his follow-through catches Vardy. He was shown a red card for denying Vardy a goalscoring opportunity, but as Vardy was never in possession of the ball, the club successfully appealed.
Ultimately this is a subjective decision and, on the night, the referee felt it was a foul and issued the red card. The VAR did not intervene as did not feel that was a clear error.
TV Info
Incident: Fabian Schar is shown a straight red card for a foul on Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli.
Foy’s view: From the referee’s angle he felt that Schar has lunged for the ball and caught Martinelli. While this was a subjective call, for me, it’s a harsh one.
It is definitely a foul, but the point of contact is low. The VAR looked at the incident again and felt the red card was not a clear and obvious error so the on-field decision stuck. But, in my view, a yellow card would have been a fairer outcome.