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Howard Webb has offered his opinion on Lewis-Skelly’s red card in January. The red card was overturned after a strong reaction and an appeal by Arsenal.
The Chief of Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) Howard Webb, has addressed the controversial red card issued to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly during their 1-0 win over Wolves on a recent episode of “Match Official’s Mic’d Up.” The decision, made by referee Michael Oliver in January, was later overturned after an appeal, but not before sparking widespread debate and frustration.
During the first half of the match, Lewis-Skelly was sent off for what Oliver deemed serious foul play. The young defender’s raised foot made high contact with Wolves’ Matt Doherty, who went down as a result. Oliver’s decision was upheld by VAR Darren England, who did not send Oliver to the VAR monitor. Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, expressed his anger over the decision, and pundits were quick to criticize it as one of the worst in Premier League history.
In his comments, Webb admitted that the red card was the wrong decision. He explained that while the contact was high, it was glancing and did not meet the criteria for serious foul play, which requires excessive force or brutality. Webb defended Oliver, stating that the referee’s decision was understandable given the circumstances. He emphasized that the officials did not make a “horrendous” call and that the VAR process was clear-cut.
Following the appeal, Lewis-Skelly’s red card was overturned, and Arsenal was fined £65,000 for their on-field reaction to the decision. The incident has reignited discussions about the role of VAR and the consistency of refereeing decisions in football.
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