Dalot ‘would have been given red card in Europe’
The decision made by referee Pawson in Chelsea’s match against Tottenham last April is worth comparing.
Pape Matar Sarr won the ball past Moises Caicedo before stepping forward to score.
However, Sarr had fouled Caicedo and made clear contact with his studs around the Chelsea midfielder’s knee.
VAR, Jarred Gillett, sent Pawson to the monitor to disallow the goal. Pawson considered the merits of a red card, but Gillett insisted the challenge was merely reckless and a yellow card.
Gillett took care to show the fight at real speed to determine the sanction. Like Pawson on Saturday, Gillett said the contact was glancing.
In both cases there was a buckle on the opponent’s knee, indicating the degree of force. Dalot had a straight leg, indicating greater strength.
After the Match Officials’ Mic’d Up display, PGMO boss Howard Webb supported the yellow card.
Webb said: “It would have been wrong to send him off because it’s not excessive force, it’s careless contact, hence the yellow card.”
The PGMO will probably say that the Dalot decision shows that it was consistent – especially since the same referee was involved in both incidents.
There was no real discussion or request for a red card regarding the Sarr sanction.
Maybe it was because a VAR review was made to disallow the goal, the referee watched the incident again and made his own decision. The KMI Panel did not record the yellow card as an error.
The referee’s comments to VAR are important. If Taylor saw the nails contact his knee and made his own decision, then it would be difficult for the video referee to get involved.
It is still possible for the VAR to tell the referee that he made the wrong decision regarding the force during the tackle. However, the referee’s ability to provide a good explanation limits the scope of the review.
Referees are looking for prolonged contact. So, if the entire shoe touches the leg but comes off quickly, as with Dalot and Sarr, this is considered a peek.
Compare this to the VAR red card Curtis Jones received in September 2023. It’s a decision that still angers Liverpool fans.
Jones made contact with Yves Bissouma’s shin and pushed towards his leg as he slid forward to try to play the ball.
PGMO said this was not available in Dalot’s challenge, so it was “taking a look”.
It’s a tough sell and many seem to accept it as VAR’s red card.
