Former Premier League Referee Mark Halsey gives three reasons why William Saliba should not have been sent off

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has voiced his opinion on William Saliba’s controversial red card on Arsenal’s defeat against Bournemouth.

Ex-ref Halsey does not believe that VAR should have intervened however. The retired official believes that Saliba’s challenge did not even meet three of four criteria required to award a red card.

“It’s a subjective decision, so I didn’t think VAR Jarred Gillett needed to get involved,” Halsey stated to The Sun. “For the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, we look at four key criteria. And I had doubts over three of those.

Halsey believes there are three key reasons why the decision to send off Saliba was unwarranted.

Firstly, Halsey argues that the challenge by Saliba did not meet the criteria for a clear and obvious error, which is the standard for VAR intervention. He points out that the distance between Saliba’s offence and the goal was significant, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya back-pedalling to cover the threat. This, according to Halsey, should not have warranted a red card.

Secondly, Halsey highlights the flight of the pass from Leandro Trossard, which was poorly executed and did not present a clear goalscoring opportunity. He believes that the pass was so misdirected that it would have been difficult for any defender to prevent a goal from it.

Lastly, Halsey notes the number of defenders between Saliba and the goal at the time of the challenge. With multiple Arsenal defenders in the vicinity, Halsey argues that Saliba’s challenge did not pose an immediate threat to Bournemouth’s goal.

Halsey’s comments have added to the debate over the use of VAR and its impact on the game. While some believe that VAR is necessary to correct clear mistakes, others, like Halsey, feel that its intervention can sometimes be overzealous and disrupt the flow of the match.