PL panel backs VAR decisions in Wolves defeat

Published on: 01 December 2023

Video assistant referee Stuart Attwell has been backed over his interventions during Fulham's controversial 3-2 win over Wolves by the Premier League panel that reviews key incidents in matches.

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil was fuming over a string of decisions that went against his team at Craven Cottage on Monday.

The visitors conceded two penalties and also believed Fulham forward Carlos Vinicius should have been red carded.

But the independent key match incidents panel felt the VAR calls were correct.

As first reported by ESPN, while a majority of the panel felt on-field referee Michael Salisbury was wrong to award Fulham's first penalty for Nelson Semedo's 'foul' on Tom Cairney, and that Vinicius should have been shown a red rather than yellow card for head-butting Max Kilman, in neither instance did they believe the decisions fell into the 'clear and obvious' category that would have warranted them being overturned.

The panel also felt Salisbury was incorrect to wave away Fulham's penalty claims when Harry Wilson went down over Joao Gomes' leg in stoppage-time, but that VAR was correct to intervene and recommend he look at the pitchside monitor and overturn the decision.

The KMI panel is made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from referees' body the PGMOL.

It is intended to provide an independent retrospective view of decisions around major incidents that can be used as a guide to assess the performance of officials.

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Source: bbc.com