Jamie O’Hara Demands ‘Investigation’ into VAR After Myles Lewis-Skelly’s Controversial Red Card
Jamie O’Hara has called for an investigation into VAR following Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly’s contentious red card during Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
The 18-year-old was sent off by referee Michael Oliver late in the first half after tripping Wolves’ Matt Doherty as he attempted to launch a counter-attack following an Arsenal corner. Typically, such an incident is punished with a yellow card as a professional foul. However, Arsenal’s players were left stunned when Oliver issued a red.
The decision was reviewed by VAR official Darren England, who upheld Oliver’s call, deeming Lewis-Skelly’s tackle as “serious foul play.” This left O’Hara outraged, describing it as “one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen.”
Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Hara criticized both the referee and VAR, claiming the technology should be scrapped. “I’ve watched the replay in slo-mo, and it’s almost like Oliver couldn’t wait to show the red card. It was unbelievable,” he said.
“For VAR to look at it and agree is absolutely disgraceful. In every replay, it’s clear Lewis-Skelly was trying to take a tactical booking. It wasn’t serious foul play—it was a professional foul.
“For them to say it’s serious foul play and that he went down the back of Doherty’s Achilles is a disgrace. VAR should be shut down. The fact they couldn’t overturn the decision despite all the technology available is shocking. There needs to be an investigation into how that decision was upheld.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his anger after the match but refrained from echoing O’Hara’s strong criticism. Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said: “I am absolutely fuming, but I’ll leave it to you guys to judge. I haven’t received any explanation for the red card.”
When asked whether Arsenal would appeal the decision, Arteta replied: “That’s for the club to decide. I think it’s so obvious, maybe we don’t even need to.”
Lewis-Skelly’s red card adds to a growing list of VAR controversies this season. O’Hara and fellow talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy also cited another recent incident involving Manchester City’s Rico Lewis, who received a second yellow card for a challenge on Crystal Palace’s Trevoh Chalobah. Replays later revealed Chalobah made the contact, but VAR could not intervene as it was a second yellow, not a straight red.
Cundy criticized the inconsistency, arguing, “Second yellow cards leading to a red should be reviewable by VAR. I don’t understand how a straight red can be reviewed, but a second yellow can’t. It doesn’t make sense.”
The ongoing controversies surrounding VAR have reignited debates about its effectiveness and the need for clearer guidelines in decision-making.
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