Video assistant referee causes controversy every week whether it be the Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
This season, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
Referee: Sandro Schärer
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande
Time: 45+ minutes
Incident: VAR overturn. Penalty awarded for handball.
What happened: PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé’s attempted cross struck the arm of Bayern’s Alphonso Davies. Referee Sandro Schärer waved away the original penalty appeals; however, VAR asked him to review his decision on the monitor. After some consideration, Schärer changed his initial decision and pointed to the spot.
VAR decision: VAR recommended an on-field review to the referee for a possible penalty. Having viewed the incident, VAR felt that the deliberate movement of Davies’ left arm, away from his body, made his body shape unnaturally bigger. Despite the ball deflecting off the Bayern defender’s body first, both the referee and the VAR felt this met the criteria for a handball offence and a penalty was awarded.
Verdict: This will be viewed as an incredibly harsh decision on Bayern Munich, given the short distance the ball traveled and its deflection off the body of the defender and on to his arm. I have enormous sympathy for them in this incident. However, the handball law is currently written in a way that allows open interpretation when the ball initially deflects off a body part.
Considerations in this type of situation involve a player’s arm/hand position in relation to their movement at a particular moment. When a very clear deflection that results in a significant change in the trajectory of the ball occurs, this should carry a greater weight then the arm position on its own. However, touching another body part before contact with the arm does not automatically mean a handball cannot be penalized — in this situation, both the referee and the VAR felt Davies’ deliberate arm movement was not justifiable to his movement and a handball offense had been committed.
My feeling is that UEFA will not be too keen on this as a penalty award, despite the lower bar applied for handballs in their competitions. It’s worth noting this is a situation that would not be penalized in the Premier league, and it was ultimately a key moment in deciding this game.
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