I’ve never really commented on refereeing standards as well as VAR. I’ve never felt the need to.
In the space of 65 minutes at the Vitality Stadium that stance has changed.
We know that every club will find themselves on the wrong end of decisions, particularly the ones which are up for debate.
When things aren’t up for debate, it gets a little bit more testing.
Enter Jarrod Gillett and his merry band of VAR officials.
Do you remember him? He’s the chap who sent off Dan Neil against Middlesbrough for politely enquiring why a free kick had been given against Sunderland back in 2023. That decision alone should tell anyone all they need to know about Gillett’s approach to the game. Inflexible, self-centred and – most importantly – not a particularly good referee.
He also took charge of Sunderland’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano. Afterwards he took selfies with fans. Again, that will tell you all you need to know. The best refereeing performances are the ones you don’t notice, because you forget the decisions which you agree with – whether they go for or against your side.
It’s not just the standard of officiating in the Premier League that feels far short of the standards it should be at; the rationale for why decisions are justified feels like a slap in the face for common sense and fairness. VAR often appears as though it isn’t there to correct wrong decisions, but to protect officials from scrutiny.
The non-penalty award in the first half was judged to be “normal contact.” Jimenez places his forearm on Le Fée’s back with one action, and with another pushes him to the floor. It is a penalty; it’s as simple as that. It’s not even a case where they should stick with the on-field decision.
We move on. The caution for Tyler Adams was considered reckless, but there was a push on him which catapulted him into the challenge. Are we being gaslighted here? There was no push? Can someone please point out where any sort of action by Geertruida catapulted Adams into Xhaka? He wasn’t pushed off balance to the extent that he couldn’t control his feet, thereby placing his studs above Xhaka’s ankle. It’s reckless – but most importantly, it’s serious foul play. Xhaka could have broken his leg, and that is exactly why these challenges must be given the strongest punishment. As Peter Crouch said “it was a red card.” Agreeing with him that it was a dismissal, Joe Cole added “it wasn’t a push.”
What are we saying here? That Geertruida induced the serious foul play by pushing him? To suggest as much would be total nonsense, yet it seems that this is the reason Adams did not receive a red card. If that is the case then the rules must be changed – for the protection of players.
Finally, the equaliser came off Evanilson’s arm. The question is: was the ball below his armpit? Well, it certainly wasn’t above it, but it’s open to interpretation. One thing is for sure – he certainly didn’t head the ball.
Being even-handed about things, it’s come in a game which is unlikely to have a huge impact on Sunderland or Bournemouth’s fortunes. And a draw was a fair result. But that’s not the point – there is a responsibility to accurately and without fear of admitting a mistake officiate the game in the obvious way. I.e. it was a penalty, and it was a red card.
Last week Raul Jimenez should have received a second yellow card for a clear real-time elbow which we could see from 100 yards away. So it’s not as if there has been a run of well-officiated games previously, and today was an aberration. The referee last week was Craig Pawson – someone we have previous with.
It won’t cost us this time – but it might in the future – so those in the middle as well as in Stockley Park need to get their act together.
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