Joao Pedro avoided both a red card and suspension after an attempted elbow on Yehor Yarmolyuk during Brighton’s goalless draw against Brentford on Friday night.
The incident occurred in the second half as Pedro attempted to break free from Yarmolyuk, who was tugging at his shirt and shoulder.
Frustrated, Pedro stopped and swung his right elbow at the Brentford midfielder, narrowly missing him.
Referee Andy Madley halted play and issued Yarmolyuk a yellow card for his actions. However, VAR referee Chris Kavanagh reviewed the incident and decided that Madley’s decision to not penalize Pedro further was not a clear and obvious error.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank was less in his assessment. Speaking after the match, Frank said, “I’ve seen it, and I think it’s a red card. You can’t swing your arm like that. Whether it hits or not, by the laws of the game, it’s a red”.
“I understand it’s never easy to get everything right, so we just need to have a good conversation about it.”
The Premier League Match Centre later released a statement explaining the decision:
“The referee’s call of no red card to Joao Pedro for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed the referee’s call was not clear and obviously wrong.”
The incident has sparked debate over the consistency of VAR decisions, with many questioning whether the attempted elbow should have resulted in harsher punishment.