Candid audio reveals referee's angst at sending off Rice
Premier League referee
Chris Kavanagh conceded he 'didn't like' showing Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice
a red card for kicking the ball away during the draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last month, but had no choice.
The audio of the incident
was released on Tuesday in the first episode of the Premier League's
"Match Officials Mic'd Up" in which former referee Howard Webb joined
former England striker Michael Owen to discuss five on-field decisions.
In it, Kavanagh is heard
talking to his assistants via his microphone, saying "I don't like it, but
he's knocked the ball."
Rice, who had already
been booked, tapped the ball away from Joel Veltman to delay the taking of a
free kick. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta afterwards said he was
"amazed" that England midfielder Rice had been shown a second yellow
card.
Kavanagh was clearly
uncomfortable with the decision he had to make, but said he was put in a
difficult situation.
"Second yellow, for
me. I had no choice, he knocks the ball away. As (Veltman's) about to kick it,
he knocks the ball," he is heard to say. "I have no choice. He's put
me in an awful position. Dec, you need to go I'm afraid."
The Premier League hope
the show will help fans understand the processes involved in decision-making by
on-field and VAR officials, following intense criticism last season.
Webb, who is the chief
operating officer of referees' body the PGMOL, agreed that Kavanagh was correct
to send off Rice.
"We've messaged very
clearly and strongly to the players in pre-season around the importance of not
getting involved with the ball once the whistle is gone, not delaying the
restart in that way," Webb said.
"Once he's seen
Declan Rice deliberately, clearly kick that ball away from the position of that
free-kick, then I don't think he's got any choice."
Among the other incidents
discussed was a penalty that was awarded to Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin
against Brighton by referee Simon Hooper but overturned after VAR invited the
referee to review the incident.
Footage showed
Calvert-Lewin had actually trodden on the foot of a Brighton defender Lewis
Dunk, not the other way round.
"Sometimes the
referee's call will be clearly and obviously wrong and in this case it
was," Webb said.
"So that's a good example of a situation where the referee's call
was wrong and it needed intervention by the VAR."
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