Former PL referee gives his take on the James Maddison red card incident

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has said that James Maddison was really lucky that VAR did not ask the on-field referee to take another look at his altercation with Ryan Yates on Sunday.

The incident which occurred at the end of the first half of Tottenham’s clash against Nottingham Forest has split opinion, with some seeing it as an an obvious red card offence while others have suggested that there was not much in it.

Wayne Rooney claimed that Maddison’s intention to punch his opponent was clear, admitting that he was very surprised that VAR did not intervene (Optus Sport).

However, the likes of Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp have suggested that Yates went down too easy and made a meal of the incident, opining that the right decision was made (Sky Sports).

James Maddison was lucky not to see red

Gallagher has now pointed out that Maddison was already on a yellow card at the time and suggested that the on-field referee could have come to a different conclusion had he been asked to re-watch the incident on the touchline monitor.

The former Premier League official insisted that the 27-year-old would not have had too much to complain about had he been shown a red card.

Gallagher said on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch about the incident: “This was really interesting because it got flagged by VAR. I listened to the VAR. Maddison had already got a yellow card and I thought it would be a very interesting decision. The VAR came to the decision, and I quote, ‘no evidence of violent conduct’. That’s his choice.

“What I will say is, the referee has to be guided by VAR because he doesn’t see it. VAR doesn’t send him to the screen so he doesn’t see the incident again. If he did, who knows what decision he would make?

“I think Maddison is really lucky. If you do that on a football field and you get sent off, you haven’t got a leg to stand on. The referee hasn’t had a chance to look at it because of the VAR protocol. It hasn’t met the threshold.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While I do feel the right decision was reached, I agree with Gallagher that Maddison would not have too much grounds for complaints had he been given his marching orders.

Irrespective of the force used (or a lack thereof), one simply cannot aim a punch at an opponent. The Tottenham man did lose his head for a split second.

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