AliousGary Lineker and Alan Shearer discussed Aston Villa’s victory over West Ham on Match of the Day, focusing on a controversial penalty decision.
They agreed that West Ham was fortunate to receive a penalty against Aston Villa, though Shearer believed the decision not to overturn it was correct.
This season, referees and VAR officials are advised to be less meticulous about ambiguous decisions.
The incident involved Matty Cash’s alleged foul on Tomas Soucek.
While it could have been a turning point, with Lucas Paqueta equalizing for West Ham, Jhon Duran’s late goal secured the win for Villa.
Lineker predicted frequent use of the term “referee’s call” this season, citing this incident as an example.
Shearer, while personally disagreeing with the penalty decision, acknowledged that once given, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.
The commentators noted that Cash made slight contact, and they emphasized the importance of consistency in such decisions.
They explained that VAR’s high threshold for intervention means that close calls often defer to the on-field referee’s judgment.
This “referee’s call” approach is similar to cricket’s “umpire’s call” for tight decisions.
VAR also reviewed a potential penalty for Villa after a challenge on John McGinn but upheld the referee’s original no-penalty decision due to minimal contact.
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