Man United receive new referee penalty verdict vs Everton after ‘unforgivable’ VAR cal
Manchester United were rescued by VAR on Saturday lunchtime after Everton were denied a late penalty in their 2-2 draw at Goodison Park
Premier League referee Andy Madley overturns his decision of a penalty to Everton against Manchester United
Premier League referee Andy Madley overturns his decision of a penalty to Everton against Manchester United(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel has insisted that Everton’s penalty against Manchester United on Saturday should have stood despite being overturned by VAR following an on-field review.
United had managed to drag themselves back into the contest against Everton from 2-0 down thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte. However, that hard work looked to have been in vain when referee Andy Madley pointed to the penalty spot after Ashley Young appeared to have been brought down by Harry Maguire.
However, VAR Matt Donohue was quick to refer Madley to the monitor to overturn his decision, which he duly did after observing several camera angles of the incident. As CBS Sports’ refereeing expert, Unkel was called in to give her opinion and insisted that United were let off the hook by the decision.
“The chief refereeing officer Howard Webb at the PGMOL has used this time after time: ‘Let the referee’s call stand unless it is very clear and obvious.’ We have seen the reverse angle from behind the goal and essentially through the goal,” she said.
“The first shirt pull is a significant and clear shirt pull. From a VAR perspective, we do not want to re-referee these situations.
“It is not a clear and obvious error, it should have remained as a penalty. As for an improper use of VAR, I would say yes, this was a mistake to recommend [a review].
“Now there is a second part, the referee goes to the monitor and reviews it and comes out with no penalty on-field. People are claiming he did not see the reverse angle but when you look at the monitor, he did see it in the last segment.
“When I initially saw this, a lot of the angles I saw were not the reverse angle and I said: ‘Erm, that’s a little soft, I don’t like that as a penalty either and I would recommend it.’ Until I saw that reverse camera angle, through the goal, which shows a clear shirt pull and because of that it should have been a check complete, left alone and the penalty should have stood.”
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Unkel was then asked how this mistake was allowed to happen and she admitted that it was unforgivable from the VAR team at Stockley Park. “I believe they were too focused on the angles that don’t help and basically tell you that: ‘Hey, this is not a penalty,'” she added.
“You see on the monitor, right before he departs, that he does get shown that reverse camera angle but he had already made his mind up. This is why it is unforgivable, though, because VAR has the time and ability to lead with that reverse camera angle and if they had shown that first, I am pretty confident that the referee would have stuck with his decision because of the shirt pull.”
