In an unprecedented move, Premier League officials have provided exclusive access to the decision-making process, allowing Howard Webb to thoroughly analyze the contentious incident involving Manchester United and Wolves. Webb’s insights provide a unique perspective on this controversial event.
That’s the view of chief of referees Howard Webb, who acknowledged the disappointing mistake during unprecedented access to the decision-making process. In a bid to add more transparency to the use of VAR in the Premier League, Webb is fronting a show which highlights controversial calls and the process that leads to them.
Andre Onana’s foul on Sasa Kalajdzic is one of a number of contentious calls from the early weeks of the season
This perspective is shared by the Chief of Referees, Howard Webb, who openly acknowledged the unfortunate mistake. As part of an initiative to increase transparency in the use of VAR in the Premier League, Webb is spearheading a program that shines a spotlight on contentious decisions and the intricate processes behind them.
Joined by Michael Owen, Webb analyzed the incident from the opening game of the season, which involved Andre Onana colliding with Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic in added time at Old Trafford. On-field official Simon Hooper initially dismissed the protests, with Michael Sailsbury advising against reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. This critical examination sheds light on the decision-making process during this particular match.
In the recorded audio, referee Hooper can be heard exclaiming, “No way! It’s a collision, we don’t give those.” However, the VAR subsequently advises that they are double-checking the incident and confirms that Onana caught the Wolves striker “very late” with a “clumsy” challenge. This inside look at the communication between officials provides valuable context to the decision-making process.
Sailsbury then concludes that it’s a regular collision since both players were going for the ball. He advises Hooper to maintain his initial decision. Upon returning to the studio, Webb promptly clarifies that the incident “should have prompted an intervention,” which likely would have resulted in overturning the decision. This retrospective analysis highlights a potential missed opportunity to correct the call.
He explains: “We hear the VAR in this circumstance going through the checking phase and he’s describing what he’s seen. He starts to go down the road to recommending a review, but he overthinks it a little bit. Sometimes VAR can do that. They’re trying to identfiy what the game would expect and when he sees them come together, he knows that can happen and it’s not a foul.
Howard Webb provides an explanation: “We hear the VAR in this situation going through the checking process, describing what they’ve observed. They initially lean towards recommending a review, but it seems they may have overthought the situation. Sometimes VAR officials can overanalyze, trying to anticipate the expectations of the game. When they witness players coming together like in this instance, they may recognize it as a typical occurrence and not a foul.” This insight underscores the complexities and challenges that VAR officials encounter during matches.
Howard Webb admitted the officials were guilty of “overthinking” the incident at Old Trafford
“He sees it as a collision and two players coming together – the difference with this one, is that Onana jumps IN at the Wolves player so it’s not two players coming together. It’s one going into another.”
Howard Webb added: “In the end we didn’t recommend a review…we should have done, we acknowledge that as an error, which is of course disappointing.”
