The Premier League‘s Independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has unanimously backed the decision not to show a red card to Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.
Referee David Coote booked Martínez for his challenge on Daichi Kamada in the 63rd minute. The VAR, Chris Kavanagh, checked the tackle, which saw the Argentina international leave the ground and jump in with both feet, but opted not to send Coote to the pitchside monitor to review his decision.
Guidance issued by UEFA, and followed by PGMOL and the Premier League, states that if there is no contact with a challenge of this nature, which is completed before reaching the opponent, only a yellow card should be shown. Even though Martínez left the ground and appeared to stamp, he brought his feet down onto the ball rather than the opponent.
The KMI Panel’s findings, seen by ESPN, appear to be contradictory in nature — though they follow the guidance issued. The KMI Panel stated that “the action viewed in isolation is a ridiculous challenge. Martinez is so fortunate that he doesn’t contact Kamada.” It went on to add that the decision was “supported as correct on the basis that the action by Martinez had been completed and no contact was made, however the panel felt very strongly that this type of challenge has no place on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Michael Oliver’s decision to show a second yellow card to Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard for delaying the restart in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Manchester City was also supported, by a vote of 4-1. Erling Haaland throwing the ball onto the back of the head of Gabriel Magalhães was not considered to be a key match incident.
However, the panel disagreed with second caution for Nottingham Forest‘s Morgan Gibbs-White in their 2-2 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion. Gibbs-White was sent off by referee Rob Jones on the advice of fourth official Anthony Taylor and other members of the on-field team. On a split 3-2 vote, the KMI Panel said that “it’s a strong challenge made at full speed but below the threshold for a second caution,” with the opposing view being that “the intensity of the challenge is too high and it’s a reckless tackle showing disregard to the consequences for the opponent.”
The resulting red cards for the two managers, Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler and Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo, were supported 4-1.
The other contentious incident on matchday five saw West Ham United denied a penalty when Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana held onto the arm of Crysencio Summerville as the forward broke into the penalty area. Referee Sam Barrott and the VAR, Stuart Attwell, opted not to award a spot kick.
The panel voted 3-2 that the penalty should have been given on the field, stating that “Summerville’s wrist is held as he gets away from Fofana, and this impacts his progress towards the ball.” However, the panel did not feel the threshold had been reached for a VAR intervention, by a vote of 4-1.
So far this season only one VAR decision has been ruled to be incorrect — when Tim Robinson intervened to disallow Dango Ouattara‘s stoppage-time “winner” for handball in AFC Bournemouth‘s game against Newcastle United on Aug. 25. At the same stage last season, seven errors had been recorded.
While there have been no other VAR errors, the panel has ruled there were two penalties situations which were wrong on the pitch but didn’t meet the threshold for a clear and obvious error for an intervention: Referee Tony Harrington should not have given West Ham a spot kick against Aston Villa, while Ipswich Town should have been awarded a penalty at Manchester City.
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