Video assistant referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League and in many of our favorite Champions League nights, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
This season, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
Referee: Halil Umut Meler
VAR: Rob Dieperink
Time: 86 minutes
Incident: Penalty awarded to Arsenal
What happened: Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman challenged Arsenal attacker Noni Madueke in the penalty area. The Arsenal attacker goes to ground and the referee points to the spot, awarding Arsenal a penalty.
VAR decision: VAR checked and cleared the on-field decision of a penalty. The VAR, Dieperink, took his time to view the replays, eventually deciding that he was comfortable that the challenge met the criteria for a foul, with consideration around the body of the defender contacting Madueke’s back foot as he landed, causing the Arsenal attacker to go to ground.
Verdict / Insight: In my opinion this was a poor on-field decision by the referee and one that could have very easily been a possible VAR overturn. However, Tillman’s challenge was unwise. By going to ground and making no contact on the ball, a defender leaves themselves vulnerable to creating foul contact, certainly when challenging an opponent from behind and the attacker moving at pace.
There are two clues in the movement of Madueke that I would consider to be the Arsenal attacker trying to win a penalty as opposed to it being a foul by Tillman. The initial contact is created by Madueke as he kicks the foot of Tillman, his immediate body shape suggests that he recognizes that his opponent is now in a vulnerable position on the floor, leaving his left foot behind, trying to find contact with the falling defender. Secondly, the way that Madueke falls, it’s a deliberate secondary action that has no connection with the initial contact that had been felt on his left foot, smartly shifting his feet so he loses his balance and goes to ground.
The length of time the VAR took to view the replays, I would suggest he had doubts. However, by clearing the on-field decision, he clearly didn’t feel he had enough evidence to show that this was an obvious error and recommend an on-field review.
