image source, Getty Images
- author, Sean Carnes
- role, bbc sports
Referee Howard Webb reflected on some of the key penalty calls in recent Premier League matches and said football is played by people who “make decisions”.
Nottingham Forest posted furious posts on social media after video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart was denied three penalties in a 2-0 defeat to Everton earlier this month. – Claimed Atwell was a fan of relegation rivals Luton.
Reflecting on the past five games on Sky Sports' Mic'd Up, Webb said:
- Referee Michael Oliver was “disappointed” after he missed Declan Rice's foul on Ben Davies during Sunday's match between Arsenal and Tottenham. VAR intervened and indicated there had been a “clear” mistake in sending Oliver to the monitor. As a result of the review, a penalty was awarded.
- Andre Onana's challenge on Zeki Amdouni during Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday was “reckless” and the referee should have awarded a penalty before VAR correctly intervened.
- VAR should have intervened and sent the referee to the pitchside monitor after Ashley Young challenged Callum Hudson-Odoi during Everton's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on April 21.
- Tony Harrington was right to disallow Max Kilman's late goal in Wolves' 2-1 defeat to West Ham. Tawanda Chirewa intentionally 'positioned' himself in an offside position, obstructing the goalkeeper's view. Wolves manager Gary O'Neill called it “probably the worst decision I've ever seen” and was accused by the FA.
- During Brentford's draw with Brighton on April 3, Andy Madrid was the first on the field after being asked by VAR to consider a potential penalty following Yoan Wissa's challenge on Lewis Dunk. He was right to stick to his decision.
Mr Webb reflected on the fallout over Forest's decision, in which he agreed with an earlier independent panel that only Ashley Young's third attempt should have resulted in a penalty.
“Games are played by humans, and games are hosted by humans,” Webb said. “And obviously our job is to try to make sure we have a positive impact on the game by identifying the right decisions on the field. This was not the case.
“But of course, we are also human judges, so we are always trying to reduce the number of mistakes we make.”
Oliver: “One of our top referees”
Webb defended Oliver after the referee's performance in Sunday's North London derby.
Oliver waved play on after Rice's challenge on Davis inside the penalty area despite being in a “perfect position to see” the incident, but VAR asked him to confirm what happened. I advised him to pause the match to send it to the monitor. As a result of the review, Spurs were awarded a penalty.
“I know Michael [Oliver] I would be really disappointed,” Webb added.
“He played a really good game. He's one of our top referees and one of the top referees in the world.”
Webb said VAR's intervention was “fantastically efficient” and that the clear penalty would have been missed without the use of the technology.
Oliver has been selected as one of England's referees for this summer's Euro 2024.
Onana penalty “shows referees are learning''
Manchester United conceded a late equalizer to Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday. VAR sent manager John Brooks to review Onana's challenge on Amdouni.
VAR suggested Brooks missed the goalkeeper's challenge on the Burnley forwards, and the referee agreed to award the Clarets a penalty.
Webb said it was a “clear mistake not to award a penalty” and that VAR was right to intervene.
Mr Webb said the incident was “very similar” to the incident involving Onana during the opening weekend of the season and was evidence that those involved were learning from their mistakes.
Webb contacted the Timberwolves at the time and apologized for the incident.
“When we make a mistake, we think about why and what we could have done better,” Webb said.
Premier League “Considering stadium announcement''
One of the main criticisms of VAR is the experience of supporters in stadiums, with fans often left in the dark while decisions are made or considered.
At the 2023 Women's World Cup, referees will explain decisions over the tannoy to supporters who are seated at pitchside monitors.
Mr Webb said the Premier League was looking at ways to improve the experience for supporters in stadiums, including in-stadium announcements.
“We are looking at it and have an open mind as to whether it can be utilized in the Premier League,” he said.
Semi-automatic offside will be introduced for the first time in the Premier League next season, with plans to introduce it in the autumn after the start of the season.
Using optical player tracking, this technology allows VAR officials to more quickly and consistently place virtual offside lines.
Webb said that while the current model for drawing offside lines would be used by VAR in certain cases, semi-automated offside would speed up decision-making in the vast majority of cases.
“It's going to allow you to run faster in a lot of situations where offside is tough,” Webb added.
