The referee caused an uproar after he stuck to his original decision to concede Manchester United’s goal against Nottingham Forest despite a handball.
Michael Salisbury stood by his decision to award Manchester United a goal despite a VAR review. (Image: DARREN STAPLES, AFP, Getty Images)
The referee who awarded Manchester United a controversial goal last weekend despite an obvious handball has been ruled out of this Sunday’s final Premier League match. Michael Salisbury conceded Matheus Cunha’s goal – United’s second in last Sunday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest – despite Brian Mbeumo handling the ball in the build-up.
Salisbury were advised by VAR to review the incident on a pitchside monitor, but maintained their original decision that the goal should stand.
Referee Howard Webb of the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) is said to have contacted Forrest after the match and admitted that a different decision should have been made.
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UK professional game referees have taken a more lenient stance, staying within the confines of handball competition law, compared to other countries, based on the PGMO’s ongoing dialogue with players, clubs, managers, supporters and the media.
However, in this particular case, the PGMO, which selects referees for Premier League matches, felt that the football community would have expected the on-field decision to be overturned by review.
In any case, Salisbury has been far from a regular in the Premier League this season, having played just 13 league games, far less than Michael Oliver, who has managed 28 games so far and was appointed manager for Sunday’s crucial clash between Tottenham and Everton.
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Fellow World Cup referee Anthony Taylor has been tasked with handling another deadly relegation battle between West Ham and Leeds. Farai Hallam, one of the most promising referees in English football, has been appointed to oversee Crystal Palace’s clash with newly crowned Premier League champions Arsenal at Selhurst Park.
Meanwhile, James Bell was given a VAR role in Fulham’s match against Newcastle, despite facing criticism for not recommending a review of Arsenal’s Kai Havertz’s challenge on Burnley’s Leslie Ugochukwu during Monday night’s Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium.
Michael Salisbury will not referee this weekend’s Premier League match. (Image: Lee Parker – CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
Paul Tierney showed the German a yellow card on the pitch, but replays made it abundantly clear that Havertz had caught the Burnley midfielder’s calf at the studs. Despite this, Bell reviewed the incident and upheld the referee’s decision rather than warn him of a possible red card.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville branded Havertz’s challenge as “vicious”, adding: “He’s miles off the ball. I don’t like that, the height of the ball and the fact that he’s on his feet.”
When VAR chose not to recommend a review, Neville said: “He (Havertz) is a lucky boy.”
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