Sky Sports have dismissed claims PGMOL chief Howard Webb played a role in the decision to red card William Saliba during Arsenal’s Premier League defeat to Bournemouth.
Gunners centre-back Saliba was dismissed at the Vitality Stadium after tangling with Evanilson and bringing the Cherries striker down as he went to race through on goal.
Referee Robert Jones initially showed the Frenchman a yellow but was advised to consult the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee and proceeded to upgrade the yellow to a red.
Arsenal felt aggrieved by the decision, which came on the half-hour mark, as the incident occurred just inside their half but former Gunners forward Theo Walcott and Sky Sports Jamie Redknapp both said the correct decision was made. But many Arsenal fans also questioned if former elite referee Webb had actually influenced the decision from the stands as the PGMOL chief was seen texting and talking on his phone as VAR checked the incident.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and sports presenter Richard Keys were even among those questioning if Webb played a role in the sending off.
“Was Howard Webb involved in the decision making of the red card of Saliba?” Carragher asked in a now-deleted social media post. Keys, meanwhile, said: “Who was Howard Webb texting? And why?”
But after Bournemouth’s 2-0 win, Sky Sports presenter David Jones revealed that Webb was merely listening to the officials communicate but had “no input” into the actual decision.
“You might have seen on social media, there have been one or two people speculating about what Howard Webb was up to in the crowd [during the VAR check],” Jones said. “He’s got that earpiece in, he’s got his phone out. What we understand he’s doing is he’s listening to a match feed of the VAR officials and their communication with the on-field officials, just as we do as broadcasters.
“But he has no input and has no ability to talk to the officials who are actually making the decisions. Just to clear that up for you.”
