Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?
After each weekend 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.
In this week’s VAR Review: AFC Bournemouth won at Arsenal thanks to a controversial goal from Evanilson, but should it have been ruled out for handball? Plus a possible red card for Wolves defender Rayan Aït-Nouri and double penalty woe for Newcastle United.
Possible disallowed goal: Handball by Evanilson
What happened: Evanilson put Bournemouth 2-1 up in the 75th minute when he bundled the ball home after Marcus Tavernier had helped on a corner delivery to the far post. While the Bournemouth players celebrated, a possible handball by the goal scorer was checked by the VAR, Michael Salisbury.
VAR decision: Goal stands.
VAR review: One thing tends to determine this kind of situation: luck.
Luck of the available camera angles, luck of the position of the players and, probably most importantly, luck of who is in the video assistant chair. It’s down to the judgement of the VAR, whether they feel they have the definitive proof.
In general, there was agreement among pundits that there wasn’t categorical evidence to disallow the goal; that you couldn’t be absolutely certain the ball had touched Evanilson’s arm and that it might have gone into the net off his side.
The balance of probabilities is that the ball came off Evanilson’s thigh, onto his elbow, and then into the goal. Yet the VAR isn’t supposed to make interventions on probabilities, only certainties.
VAR review: You have to question the wisdom of Sessegnon for shooting, as there was no possibility he could actually score. If he’d laid the ball off for a teammate to shoot then the goal would have counted, an accidental handball offence only applies to the scorer of the goal.
In May 2021, the ball accidentally ricocheted up off the arm of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane in a game at Leicester City. Aware of the situation, Kane instead kept possession and passed to Gareth Bale to score.
Verdict: Any kind of accidental handball which comes immediately before a player scores means the goal has to be disallowed, so it was an easy check for the VAR.
VAR review: Quansah gave Caicedo the perfect opportunity to use the challenge and win the penalty.
Unlike with the earlier Willock example, where the VAR intervened and the Newcastle player was booked for simulation, Quansah’s challenge didn’t stop before the running path of the opponent.
Caicedo certainly played for the penalty, but he could only win it due to the actions of the Liverpool defender.
Verdict: There was clear evidence of contact by the defender on the attacker, so the VAR will always support the on-field decision.
Some factual parts of this article include information provided by the Premier League and PGMOL.
