Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has strongly condemned the intervention of VAR in the contentious first-half penalty decision between Sunderland and Manchester United, which saw the spot-kick initially awarded by referee Stuart Attwell before being overturned following the scrutiny of VAR Neil Davis at Stockley Park.
Hackett, who previously held the role of general manager at the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), expressed his disapproval of VAR’s interference in the penalty incident. He emphasized that the high boot challenge inside the penalty area, which led to the initial decision, should have warranted a penalty according to the laws of the game. In his conversation with Football Insider, Hackett reiterated that he disagreed with the overturning of the penalty, characterizing it as an incorrect call.
While consulting the pitchside monitor, Attwell reversed his original decision to award the penalty to Sunderland after Trai Hume was seemingly infringed upon by Benjamin Šeško’s raised foot. The Premier League later clarified that the penalty was annulled due to the lack of contact with Hume’s head. Hackett, however, contended that even without contact, the nature of the challenge was reckless and therefore constituted a foul, disagreeing with VAR’s assessment.
Hackett raised concerns about the potential consequences of VAR getting involved in subjective decisions, cautioning against the technology dictating on-field decisions that are open to interpretation. The incident occurred at a crucial juncture in the match for Sunderland, who were trailing 2-0 and seeking a pathway back into the game. Following the penalty reversal, Dan Ballard’s missed header from a close-range opportunity off a Granit Xhaka corner nearly provided the visitors with a chance to narrow the deficit.
In response to the overturned penalty, the Premier League released a statement explaining the decision: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of penalty to Sunderland.” The referee’s official announcement clarified: “After review, there is no foul by the Manchester United player. He does not make contact with the head of the attacker. As the ball is out of play when the decision was made, the final decision is a corner kick.”
Former referee Mike Dean weighed in on the incident, acknowledging that the initial decision to award the penalty on-field was the correct one. Dean revealed that he initially shared doubts about the involvement of VAR but conceded that the technology was needed to correct the referee error. According to Dean, VAR correctly directed Attwell to the pitchside screen, leading to the overturning of the penalty call and the subsequent awarding of a corner kick instead.
Hackett’s critical remarks have contributed to the ongoing discussion surrounding the controversial incident, underscoring the divergent perspectives on VAR’s role in match officiating and its impact on the integrity of on-field decisions.
