Pascal Struijk's red card has been so divisive that two independent panels have now disagreed over whether the Brighton defender deserved to be sent off, adding to the confusion of former Premier League referees and Sky Sports pundits.
Struijk was dismissed for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the second half of Brighton's 2-0 win over Sunderland earlier this month, when he was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as he tried to latch onto a pass that ran through to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant gave a foul, but VAR Neil Davies intervened and recommended an on-field review. Bramall watched several replays before changing his decision and showing Struijk a red card.
Brighton appealed on grounds of wrongful dismissal, and an independent regulatory commission, convened through the FA, overturned the red card and subsequent one-match ban. However, the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel later voted 3-2 that the VAR intervention was correct, ruling that Struijk committed a "cynical foul clearly impacting the attacker's ability to gain possession of the ball." Two KMI panellists disagreed, arguing it was subjective whether Isidor would have gained possession. The Premier League said the two bodies can reach different conclusions because they are "entirely separate bodies with different purposes and processes."
Red cards for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity after a VAR review are rare because they are so subjective. Former referee Mike Dean said it was not a clear mistake needing correction, calling the sending-off "very harsh" and saying it was "the wrong call." Dermot Gallagher suggested it could be a "possible" rather than obvious opportunity, which would make it a yellow card at most.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing