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.
– How VAR decisions have affected every Prem club in 2023-24
– VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
In this week’s VAR Review: Should Robert Sánchez have conceded a penalty for his challenge on Gabriel Jesus? Plus handball decisions involving William Saliba, Michael Keane and Scott McTominay.
Possible penalty: Sanchez on Jesus
What happened: Arsenal won a free kick on the right in the 60th minute. Martin Ødegaard delivered into the area and the ball was met by Takehiro Tomiyasu, who headed over the bar. However, goalkeeper Robert Sánchez had rushed out and collided with Gabriel Jesus when trying to punch the aerial ball. Referee Chris Kavanagh restarted play with a goal kick to Chelsea.
VAR decision: No penalty.
VAR review: It’s one where the intended application of the law and what fans feel is fair collide. But we now have several examples to show how such decisions are judged.
The rule of thumb is simple: if the arm is fully extended from the body there’s a very high probability a penalty will be awarded.
While the expected position of the arms for a player’s action and proximity are important, these are only mitigating factors which will be superseded if the arm is well away from the body, creating an obvious barrier.
It can be expected that Saliba’s arm would be in that position when jumping, but at the same time he is considered to be taking a risk in having the arm fully extended.
We can compare it to the penalty appeal not given against West Ham United‘s James Ward-Prowse at Luton Town: while his arm was up it wasn’t fully extended or raised above for head, and for that reason he escaped a VAR review.
VAR review: While McTominay’s arm was close to his body there was a clear movement towards the ball. That makes it a deliberate act and a penalty.
If the ball had hit McTominay’s arm while he was trying to withdraw it into his body, that wouldn’t have been a spot kick.
VAR review: Much of the confusion around this decision came from a mistake with the big screen inside the stadium. It displayed that the offside decision was against Collins, but it was actually Kristoffer Ajer who had been flagged.
When Mbeumo plays the ball, Ajer is holding back Burnley‘s Lyle Foster and the assistant has judged this prevented an opponent from challenging for the ball from an offside position. It’s doubtful the VAR would have got involved to disallow the goal for this, but it’s also subjectively an acceptable decision.
The assistant doesn’t have to feel that Foster will win the ball or even decide to make a challenge, he’s only judging that the player in an offside position has affected his ability to do so.
