Former Premier League referee, Dermot Gallagher, has come to the defense of match official, Rob Jones, regarding his decision to exercise leniency with Kai Havertz during Arsenal’s match against Brentford last Saturday.
The Gunners clinched a 2-1 victory over Brentford, propelling them to the top of the Premier League table ahead of the highly anticipated Liverpool vs Manchester City showdown later in the day.
Kai Havertz sealed the win with a powerful header inside the box in the 87th minute of the game.
Speculation arose regarding the 24-year-old's conduct, suggesting that he could have been sent off with a second yellow card for simulation after appearing to dive in the box during a challenge with Brentford's Collins.
Gallagher explained that VAR would not intervene in a second yellow card scenario and argued that Havertz’s contact with Nathan Collins influenced the decision to show leniency.
Thomas Frank, the manager of Brentford, expressed his belief that Havertz should have received his marching orders earlier in the second half, accusing the German international of simulation in pursuit of a penalty.
However, Gallagher countered Frank's argument, stating that issuing a red card for simulation would necessitate a situation devoid of any contact.
In an interview with Premier League Productions, Gallagher emphasized, “If you imagine the referee decides to give a yellow card and VAR doesn’t think it is, we are talking about can the VAR intervene on second yellow cards. Well, we all know it is about direct red cards."
Gallagher further elaborated, “For me, there is some contact and that is what saves him really. It is not the best thing to do in the world, especially when you are on a yellow card."
He continued, “If you look where the referee is, he sees the tackle go in from Collins and sees the ball go to the right. If you are going to send somebody off for a dive, you want where there is clearly no contact where he is thrown himself to the ground.”
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