Referees’ chief Howard Webb says Mateo Kovacic should have been sent off during Manchester City’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Sunday — but not for his challenge on Martin Odegaard.
Kovacic was shown a yellow card for a foul on Arsenal captain Odegaard in the 29th minute at the Emirates, with many feeling the City midfielder could have been sent off.
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Webb, speaking on Match Officials: Mic’d Up — a programme hosted by Michael Owen that dissects refereeing decisions in the Premier League and shows previously unheard audio between officials — did say that “had a red card been given by Michael Oliver on the day, it would have been a very straightforward ‘check complete’”.
But Webb maintained it was the right decision for the VAR to not interject as that would have been “a re-refereeing of that decision”.
Six minutes later, Kovacic fouled Declan Rice but avoided a second yellow card from Oliver.
“I do (believe Kovacic was lucky not to be shown a second yellow),” said Webb, the chief refereeing officer of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organisation responsible for officiating in England. “Second yellows are something that the VAR is not able to get involved in. But he was an extremely fortunate player to stay on the field of play.
“Of course, the referee, Michael, will no doubt review that and he doesn’t want to have a negative impact on the game by overreacting to something, and sometimes players will be on a yellow card and there will be pressure to show a second one.
“Pressure will come from the players on the field, but you know that’s also true that if you under-react you have a negative impact on the game.
“So when he reflects on it, he’ll realise that the second (foul) should have been a yellow card as well, which would have seen Kovacic sent off for two yellow cards.”
Arsenal went on to win the match 1-0, thanks to a deflected Gabriel Martinelli goal in the second half.
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(Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
