Key Match Incident Panel: Sunderland penalty wrong, VAR right not to step in | OneFootball

According to Sunderland Echo, the Premier League’s Key Match Incident Panel has ruled Sunderland’s penalty against Arsenal should not have been awarded, while supporting VAR’s non-intervention.

The spot-kick was given when Ezri Konsa was penalised for holding Dan Ballard at a long throw. Enzo Le Fée’s penalty was saved superbly by David Raya, and Arsenal went on to win 2-0.

Arsenal and head coach Mikel Arteta were incensed by the award. Arteta argued Ballard had been holding Konsa, so a penalty should not have been given.

All five panellists judged the award incorrect, but by three votes to two they backed the on-field decision standing. They said the incident did not reach the Premier League’s high threshold for a clear and obvious error, given the combined actions of both players, and noted they assess the referee’s decision first, then the VAR’s actions.

The independent five-person panel comprises three former players or coaches, one ProRef representative and one from the Premier League. They meet weekly to review significant decisions and provide feedback to the refereeing body on elite match officiating.

Source: Sunderland Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”