Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare and hair-pulling, why referees now show red | OneFootball

Sunderland’s Dan Ballard was sent off for pulling Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare’s hair after a VAR review in the 25th minute. According to NY Times, the dismissal came in Saturday’s Premier League match.

The red card reflects a harder line taken since Cristian Romero’s unpunished tug on Marc Cucurella during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham in August 2022. VAR official Mike Dean later accepted he should have sent Anthony Taylor to the monitor.

Since then, VAR has brought sanctions, including Southampton’s Jack Stephens seeing red for pulling Cucurella in a 5-1 defeat in December 2024. Howard Webb says hair-pulling crosses acceptable behaviour and is usually more than negligible contact, so it brings a red card.

Those decisions have hardened, with Keane dismissed for tugging Arokodare’s hair in a 1-1 draw earlier this season after a VAR review. Ballard’s red made it the second Premier League sending-off for hair-pulling this term.

Referee Paul Tierney deemed it violent conduct after checking the monitor, with Arokodare falling as his hair was held. Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris argued there was no intent and such duels can be awkward against long-haired forwards.

Hair-pulling is not named in the Laws of the Game, yet under Webb’s tenure since December 2022 it has been treated as violent conduct. Recent FIFA events mirror this, notably last July’s Club World Cup final when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Cucurella’s hair after VAR. With officials meeting for a pre-tournament camp in Miami in early June, a shift in approach for this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico appears unlikely.

Source: NY Times