theargus.co.uk

Highly-regarded VAR set for Brighton and Palace showdown

Thomas Bramall has been appointed as referee for the clash between the old rivals at the Amex on Sunday.

But just as important is the identity of the video assistant, as Albion have learned amid some tight calls in their last three matches.

James Bell will be the man following the action from Stockley Park this time.

Bell was identified as a particularly skilled operator of the video system and progressed through the VAR Enhanced Training Programme.

His judgement was most recently required when Manchester United played Fulham on Sunday.

Bell intervened to suggest a foul by Jorge Cuenca on Matheus Cunha, which had led to a penalty award, actually took place outside the box.

The decision looked correct although it sparked confusion.

Fulham boss Marco Silva throught the spot kick had been awarded for a fair tackle which followed.

He said: "I know why the penalty was given. The VAR went in a completely different direction to find something and be able to give a free-kick."

United went on to score from the free-kick.

Bell later took four minutes to award a marginal offside against Fulham which led to a goal being disallowed.

Referee Bramall took charge of Albion’s recent 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

His five previous Albion fixtures have all been away from home and have not included any notable controversies.

Coincidentally, nor have they seen any Albion wins

He was most recently in action in the Championship when Hull won 1-0 at Blackburn.

That took him to 19 games this season across all competitions, showing 68 yellow cards and three reds.

The full officiating team for Albion v Crystal Palace is as follows.

Referee: Thomas Bramall. Assistants: Lee Betts, Simon Long. Fourth official: Sam Barrott. VAR: James Bell. Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton.

Read full news in source page