The Premier League has been urged to suspend Michael Oliver following the highly controversial red card he issued at Molineux on Saturday.
Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off in the first half of their match against Wolves for a tackle on Matt Doherty, a decision that sparked immediate disbelief from pundits. Jamie O’Hara of talkSPORT called it a “disgrace.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed that he was “too fuming” to comment on the decision, which was upheld by VAR.
Former Premier League referee and ex-PGMOL chief, Keith Hackett, believes Oliver should be rested for a few weeks. Speaking on talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition, Hackett said, “I’d admit this morning that this is a major mistake, one you wouldn’t expect from the supposed top referee. He was close to the incident, but that’s why he needs operational guidance.”
He continued, “I’d recommend that Michael Oliver takes a break and doesn’t referee a Premier League match for a couple of weeks. That’s the first step.”
When asked about VAR’s role, Hackett clarified, “Ultimately, the referee is responsible. But VAR should have intervened. This was a clear error. It wasn’t serious foul play, and I can’t understand why Darren England, the VAR official, didn’t step in to help.”
Hackett emphasized that Oliver, as the on-field referee, is the one in charge, and his decision was made too quickly without sufficient thought. He suggested that Oliver needed more time to process the incident, even if it was just a few milliseconds, before making such a significant call.
Regarding VAR, Hackett added, “I think the VAR team should be independent, not active referees. There’s a lack of trust between Oliver and the VAR team, and those conversations need to happen after the game to understand and learn from the mistake.”
Finally, Hackett mentioned that Howard Webb, the PGMOL chief, should be addressing the situation away from the heat of the moment to ensure these errors are recognized and not defended as standard protocol.
Despite the red card in the 43rd minute, Arsenal managed to win 1-0, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring the decisive goal.
Leave a Reply