3 days ago
32 ARTICLE AD
The Premier League have been urged to drop Michael Oliver over the hugely controversial red card he dished out at Molineux on Saturday.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for Arsenal in the first half of their clash with Wolves for a challenge on Matt Doherty.
1
The decision was met by immediate disbelief among pundits with talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara calling the decision a ‘disgrace’.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was ‘too fuming’ to comment on the decision, that was upheld by VAR.
Ex-Premier League referee, and former head of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett believes Oliver needs to be stepped down for a couple of weeks.
Speaking to the Sunday Edition on talkSPORT, Hackett said: “I'd be admitting this morning that this is a major error, that you don't expect the alleged number one referee to make. He's on top of the incident. I think he's too close and so I think he requires operational advice.
“I'd be saying to Michael Oliver, I think you need a rest and I think you're not going to see another game in the Premier League for a couple of weeks. That's the first action.”
When asked if VAR should take responsibility, Hackett said: “Ultimately, the referee takes responsibility. I admit, and I'm very clear, that VAR did not do what VAR should do. This was a clear and obvious error. It wasn't serious foul play.
“I cannot believe that Darren England on VAR didn't come in and help Michael Oliver. That's the first point.
“But let's get back to Michael Oliver initially, because he's the guy in charge. We know that the process of refereeing is; to see, recognise, think, and then act.
“It was instant. It was too instant. He needed to have a thought process that runs through and visualise that incident, give himself time, milliseconds, before he makes this major error.
“Now, Darren England? Well, Darren England's allocated a game this afternoon, Crystal Palace.
“So as VAR, he would not be on that game. I'm quite clear that there needs to be seen to be a level of accountability.
“More than that, you need to take these guys out of the oven, no matter what level they're at, and give them the appropriate operational advice. Talk through that incident, give them time to think through it, and then determine how they could make an error in law.”
Henry Winter asked if VAR official England may have felt it difficult to question Michael Oliver.
Hackett said: “Spot on, Henry. Absolutely spot on. There is no doubt in my mind that the VAR panel should be independent. Not active referees, to be honest.
“I do believe that this is a problem that Oliver has with the VAR people and personnel. You want them to build a relationship up, you want them to be a team and tightly knitted, but there's also got to be trust.
"Last night, I'd have been on the phone to Darren England, if I was Michael Oliver, asking why he let him down.
“I think these are the discussions that Howard Webb must have, away from the heat of the game and probably Monday, Tuesday of this coming week, to run through it and learn from the error and recognise, first of all, that it is an error.
“Don't defend it as the normal Premier League spokesman says, that this is serious foul play.”
Despite the 43rd minute red card to Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal went on to win 1-0 thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori goal.
