In a match that left both fans and officials questioning the use of technology in football, Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card during Arsenal's narrow 1-0 victory over Wolves has been overturned following an appeal. The incident, adjudicated by referee Michael Oliver, drew significant attention when Arsenal expressed their discontent with the decision. Although the Premier League club faced a £65,000 fine for their on-field reaction to the dismissal, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief, Howard Webb, later confirmed that the decision to send Lewis-Skelly off was incorrect.
Howard Webb explained that the on-field referee saw Lewis-Skelly's actions as serious foul play. Despite this, video assistant referee (VAR) Darren England did not feel the incident warranted a review on the VAR monitor, nor did he receive input from the assistant referees. This lack of intervention led to significant backlash, with Sky Sports' Micah Richards labeling it as "the worst decision I've ever seen in Premier League football history."
"I've heard this described as a really horrendous officiating decision. It's not! I understand why the referee saw this on the day as a serious foul-play action." – Howard Webb
The incident prompted widespread criticism and abuse directed at the match officials on social media. PGMOL condemned the abuse as "appalling," highlighting the negative impact such behavior has on referees like Michael Oliver, who continued his duties promptly by officiating subsequent matches between Ipswich and Southampton, and Everton and Liverpool.
"Nobody should be subject to threats, their families shouldn't be subject to threats – whether that be officials or players. We have seen all participants being exposed to those sorts of things." – Howard Webb
Webb elaborated on the nature of Lewis-Skelly's challenge, describing it as "glanced studs" that should not have warranted a red card. He acknowledged some criteria that might justify sending off Lewis-Skelly but emphasized that overall evidence indicated a yellow card was more appropriate.
"We have to be careful about slowing things down and freeze-framing things. We've talked about not doing that, it can distort reality. We have to look at it in full speed, it is glancing [studs] and does come off quite quickly." – Howard Webb
Webb also noted the referee's perspective during the game, where he observed Lewis-Skelly moving towards an opponent with raised foot contact high on the leg. This perception influenced the decision to issue a red card, despite the VAR team's conclusion that it wasn't "clearly and obviously wrong."
"Clearly the referee on the day felt the actions of Myles Lewis-Skelly, he saw the player moving in towards an opponent without any ability or intention of playing the ball – with the intention of stopping the opponent. And the referee sees a raised foot make high contact and the opponent went down." – Howard Webb
The decision sparked heated debate among football enthusiasts and analysts alike, questioning whether VAR's role was sufficiently exercised during the incident. Webb admitted that while a yellow card would have been preferable, there was an understanding of why VAR did not intervene at that moment.
"But it's an understandable on-field decision. Yes we feel the VAR should have been involved, but at the same time I can kind of understand why that didn't happen in the moment." – Howard Webb
As discussions continue about technology's role in officiating the game, this event underscores the complexities involved in real-time decision-making and its subsequent scrutiny.
"From the outset, we would prefer a yellow card in this situation," – Howard Webb
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