VAR farce: after seeing the incident, Stuart Attwell overturns Hakim Ziyech dismissal.
In a strange turn of events during Tottenham’s match against Chelsea, Hakim Ziyech was first given a red card and then had it removed.
As the first half came to a close, Ziyech cynically brought down Richarlison, sparking the expectedly heated confrontation.
Ziyech was bumped into by Richarlison’s teammate and fellow countryman after the two briefly squared off.
The Moroccan international shoved the former Barcelona defender in retaliation and seemed to hit him in the face.
Kai Havertz was given a yellow card for his initial tackle on Ziyech, and Royal also received one. Referee Stuart Attwell discussed Ziyech’s action with assistant Darren Cann and VAR official Paul Tierney, which led to the former Ajax player receiving a red card.
Ziyech was about to start walking down the tunnel when Attwell looked at the incident on the monitor and downgraded the card to yellow, seemingly concluding that it was not a violent act.
Although the incident could have been seen much more clearly from another angle, it generated a lot of discussion inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
One irate supporter yelled: “In awe at how bad that is from Stuart Attwell, the referee, and Paul Tierney, the VAR official. Giving a red card while oblivious to the incident, followed by watching the replay while 85k confused spectators wait for 5 minutes is not acceptable. “.
“Stuart Attwell’s had a mare in this first half,” remarked the second. Instead of issuing a red card, why not go check the monitor first? Our referees are the worst in the world of football, completely incompetent, and VAR is a mess because of these cretins in charge of it. “.
Another person said: “What on earth is that about? Stuart Attwell waits, VAR tells him he shoved Emerson in the face, he sends him off only for him to then be told to go to the monitor. goes to the monitor and reconsiders his stance on the red. What is going on with football?”.
“We have some of the most incompetent officials in World Football, and Stuart Attwell is at the top of that list,” a fourth supporter railed. It’s only now that VAR is able to identify the terrible referee. “.
A fifth remarked, “So Ziyech was about to be booked for the initial tackle before it all kicked off, then was given a red for the ‘push’ only for it to be overturned? Surely at the very least it’s a yellow for the foul and a yellow for the altercation. All day long, it has been red. “.
Oliver Skipp’s breathtaking goal, his first of the season for Spurs, gave them the lead right after the break.
