Manager Gary Lineker has expressed sympathy for Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo and raised concerns about VAR’s reliance on slow-motion replays following his sending off against Arsenal. The Blues star was sent off for a challenge on Mikel Merino early in a crucial Premier League game.
Midway through the first half, a Chelsea player dived to recover the ball and made contact with the top of the Spanish midfielder’s ankle, causing both players to fall to the ground. Caicedo was initially given a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor, but the decision was overturned after VAR intervention and the penalty was increased to a red card.
Lineker believed that the introduction of this technology made the problem seem more serious than it actually was.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, he said: “I don’t think you should use slow motion for something like that. It’s like when you have a still image of your feet.
“His foot wasn’t up. It was a millisecond too late and it looked terrible in slow motion. So I can understand why they could potentially overturn the call, but I mean, really? I don’t think it would have been a foul in my day, much less a red card.”
“I think the slow motion is distorting what’s really happening because it’s ‘hitting the ball’ (a ricochet motion), so the foot bounces.
“If he had put his foot up in the air, it would have gone over the ball earlier and it would have definitely been a red card. If you look at it in slow motion it looks bad, but if you look at it normally it’s just a little (slow).”
Despite being down to 10 men, Chelsea took the lead in the second half when Trevor Chalobah’s header found the back of the net to break the deadlock.
Still, Merino tied the score with a header off Bukayo Saka’s shot.
Both teams had chances at the death to take all three points, with the Gunners pressing to extend their advantage in the Premier League summit.
Failing to do so, they were unable to take advantage of Manchester City’s draw with Leeds on Saturday, reducing their lead at the top of the table to five points.
Merino confessed he was lucky to avoid serious damage after a “horrifying” tackle from a Chelsea opponent.
“My ankle felt like it was hurting towards the end, but luckily my ankle and body are very mobile,” he said.
“It was a scary challenge and I knew it would result in a red card.”
Lineker’s comments come almost two years after the former Match of the Day presenter was forced to change his stance on technology.
The 65-year-old had backed the introduction of video assistant referees, hoping to reduce mistakes and eliminate football’s biggest controversy.
However, in December 2023, he was forced to confess his regrets for supporting VAR after Kai Havertz’s strike was disallowed by VAR for handball against Aston Villa.
He said: “Well, I have to say, I don’t really like VAR anymore.
“I was one of those who supported it and I actually feel pretty guilty about it and it was definitely wrong. It ruins the game.”
