VAR NO GOAL
In a tense Premier League encounter between Newcastle United and Arsenal, a significant VAR intervention led to the overturning of a penalty decision against Newcastle’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope. Initially, Pope was judged to have fouled Viktor Gyokeres in the penalty area. However, upon review, it was determined that Pope made contact with the ball before colliding with the Arsenal forward, prompting the referee to reassess the situation.
Webb said: “After review, the Newcastle goalkeeper plays the ball and there is no foul. The final decision is drop ball.”
Webb further explained: “The VAR checks the penalty. When he does that, he clearly sees that Gyökeres gets to the ball, pokes it a little bit forward but then, importantly, Nick Pope also gets a very clear touch on the ball as he steps forward with that right foot and deviates the direction that the ball is going in. That hadn’t been appreciated on the field by the referee. Pope then plants his foot on the ground, he doesn’t drive it forward into Gyökeres. I think the deviation is quite clear. It touches the ball, it moves the ball away in a different direction to the direction it was previously going in. So, it’s a good challenge by Pope, it’s not a foul and there was an important part around this in that the referee didn’t recognise that touch by Pope in real time, hence the reason that when the VAR saw it, he deemed it to be a clear and obvious error, because that touch by Pope hadn’t been seen and therefore the referee could go to the screen to look at that really important aspect and make a judgement for himself and that judgement was, yes, I’ve seen the touch and therefore it’s not a foul and I’m going to start with a dropped ball.”
The decision to overturn the penalty was pivotal, as it highlighted the importance of VAR in ensuring accurate officiating in the Premier League. The incident underscores the principle that VAR will only overturn a decision if there is a clear and obvious error. In this case, the referee’s initial failure to recognize Pope’s touch on the ball was rectified by the VAR’s intervention.
Following the match, Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta and player Bukayo Saka expressed concerns about the time taken to reach the final decision, suggesting that it indicated the error was not ‘clear and obvious’. This incident continues to fuel the ongoing debate about the efficiency and effectiveness of VAR in football.
As the Premier League continues to embrace technology to aid refereeing decisions, this match serves as a reminder of the critical role VAR plays in maintaining the integrity of the game. For more in-depth analysis and coverage of Newcastle United, fans are encouraged to tune into the “Everything is Black and White” podcast available on various platforms.
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