Webb: Foden red justified but Fernandes escaped yellow for 'petulant' kick
· Sky-PL
Pro Ref chief Howard Webb has backed the decision to send off Phil Foden in the Manchester derby but revealed VAR could not intervene to caution Bruno Fernandes for the "petulant" kick that sparked the altercation.
The review of this incident is all over the place. But the most alarming element is the reading of Bruno Fernandes's part.
Lead VAR official Matt Donohue is distracted by a previous incident in real time.
His VAR assistant leads with "possible kick out" by Foden. The immediacy of the on-field decision from Michael Oliver to send Foden off is the determining factor here. Oliver acts fast which suggests he is sure, and so VAR allows the call to stand.
The bar for intervention by VAR has been deliberately lifted higher for subjective decisions, remember, to avoid re-refereeing of games. This remains a grey area but less VAR interference is a good thing in my book.
Most can accept that Oliver's decision to dismiss Foden is not a "clear and obvious error" given where he makes contact with Fernandes. Whether it meets the threshold for "violent conduct" is of course open to interpretation.
What the VAR room failed to spot, however, is the trigger for Foden's reaction. Why is that not scrutinised in more detail?
"I'm absolutely certain he doesn't [do anything]," Donohue says of Fernandes's involvement. In reality, the Man Utd captain is the first offender and Foden's kick was retaliation for the kick he received after being fouled.
The decision not to punish Fernandes for the exact same action Foden is red-carded for is surely a huge oversight. Both deserved equal treatment in my opinion, especially important as Oliver clearly missed the first part from his position on the pitch. There is never any mention of it.
VAR's job is to alert him. Isn't that what the pitchside monitor is there for?