The moment those behind the screens at Stockley Park convinced referee Rob Jones to overturn Josh King’s opening goal is a perplexing listen to the VAR audio from Fulham’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge, the Cottagers felt as though they had been ripped from beneath their feet, and with good reason.
After being slipped past by Rodrigo Muniz and coolly finishing past Robert Sanchez for what would have been his first senior goal, King, who is only eighteen, believed he had made his debut in style. However, excitement quickly gave way to shock as replays revealed that Muniz had been found guilty of a “careless challenge” during the buildup. His landing foot, following a deft swivel on the halfway line, struck Trevoh Chalobah, who to the deck and, according to VAR, gave Fulham a garden road to goal.
The following weekend, Michael Salisbury, who was in charge of VAR for the Saturday lunchtime kickoff, was relieved of his duties for Liverpool vs. Arsenal in the Premier League when PGMOL acknowledged that he had made a mistake by instructing Jones to reverse the on-field call. The audio’s release just serves to highlight how inaccurate he was.
The VAR audio for Chelsea vs. Fulham is now available.
Before reporting that the on-field ruling was a goal, Jones was heard initially, while play was still in progress, claiming that both players were involved and that he denied any possibility of a foul. However, as is frequently the case, when VAR had a voice, things became chaotic. Following his review of the replays, Salibsury states (see the video below):
“It’s obvious that Rodrigo Muniz steps on the top of his foot as he spins. That, in my opinion, is a foul that denies him a chance to defend because he can’t get back up after stepping on the foot. Josh King enters after Chalobah remains on the ground and is unable to defend. An impact foul is committed.
The referee, who acknowledged that at first he believed Chalobah was the one who made contact, described the incident as a “careless challenge” by the Fulham forward before advising Jones to go to the pitchside monitor for an on-field review.
Following the ruling, Sky Sports commentator Jamie Carragher made the joke, “VAR has had a shocking start to the season.” A week earlier, a little-known regulation regarding players in the wall for free-kicks was used to prevent Eberechi Eze from opening the scoring for Crystal Palace, which led to another contentious judgment that favored the Blues.
Howard Webb Issues a Decision Regarding Fulham’s Blocked Goal
Howard Webb acknowledged that there was a “misjudgement” in rejecting King’s goal during the most recent episode of “Match Officials Mic’d Up,” but he downplayed the controversy by stating that the decision was incorrect, pointing to the season’s higher threshold of contact as the main justification.
The former FIFA referee, who is also the PGMOL Chief Refereeing Officer, has insisted that VAR should only play a minor role but that they overreached themselves this time. “It was incorrect, but it wasn’t controversial. He stated, “We have set some guidelines for how we use VAR and officiate in the Premier League.
“They penalize contact at a high threshold, which helps the game’s tempo, rhythm, and flow. Additionally, we have set a high standard for VAR intervention.
That is to say, if the referee has made a call on the field and it is not obviously incorrect, the call will stand, or at least ought to stand. And we convey that message to all of our VARs, especially when it comes to disallowed goals that are clearly at a pivotal point in the game.
“We should only be taking goals away when the evidence is very clear that that’s the only thing we can do and that’s the guidance we give to our officials.”
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