Howard Webb has his say on whether the referee was right to send off Rice

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·18 September 2024

Howard Webb has his say on whether the referee was right to send off Rice

Referees’ chief Howard Webb has clarified Declan Rice’s red card against Brighton after reviewing the audio conversation between the referee and the VAR.

Rice was sent off for a second bookable offence when he appeared to block Brighton’s restart, leaving the midfielder devastated.

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As a result, he missed the North London Derby against Tottenham, and his absence was felt in Arsenal’s eventual victory.

There has been significant debate surrounding the red card, with Arsenal fans expressing frustration over inconsistent decision-making in that match.

Webb has now reviewed the incident and others. During the conversation between referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR Andy Madley, Kavanagh appeared reluctant to issue a second yellow card to Rice but felt compelled to do so as he believed it was the correct decision. Webb concurred.

He said, as quoted by The Sun:

“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.

“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.”

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This explanation will not persuade Arsenal fans to think about the incident differently, and we should just move on from it.

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Howard Webb has his say on whether the referee was right to send off Rice | OneFootball

Howard Webb has his say on whether the referee was right to send off Rice

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