The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMO) chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, has provided insight into the penalty decisions that went against Manchester United during their match against Bournemouth. Webb attributed the disparity in the decisions to the varying speeds at which the attackers were moving. Manchester United had taken the lead twice, courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and an own goal by James Hill, but Bournemouth equalized through Ryan Christie and a late penalty from Eli Junior Kroupi.
The match saw several contentious incidents, including a penalty appeal by Amad Diallo that was dismissed by both the on-field referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). In contrast, a penalty was awarded against Harry Maguire for a foul on Evanilson, resulting in Maguire's red card.
Webb noted that while both incidents involved pushing actions, the key difference lay in the speed of the attackers. In the case of Amad, he was not moving quickly, and the contact, although present, was deemed not sufficient to warrant a penalty.
In contrast, Evanilson was moving at a much faster pace when Maguire fouled him, leading to a clear penalty decision. The on-field referee's decision was respected by the VAR in both instances. Webb emphasized that the referee's judgment call on the impact of the contact is crucial in such situations.
Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, and player Bruno Fernandes expressed their disappointment and confusion over the inconsistency in the penalty decisions, with Carrick describing it as "crazy" and "baffling". Webb clarified that the VAR's role is not to be overly intrusive, only intervening when a decision is clearly wrong. In this case, the VAR deemed the incident involving Amad as a subjective call, and the Key Match Incident panel supported the on-field decision, acknowledging that it was a grey area.