VAR review: Should Arsenal’s Gabriel have been sent off for headbutt?

Video assistant referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made and are they correct?

This season, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.

Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: John Brooks
Time: 83 minutes
Incident: Possible red card for violent conduct

What happened: An altercation between Gabriel and Erling Haaland ended with the Arsenal defender seemingly headbutting City’s Haaland. Referee Anthony Taylor decided to give a yellow card to Gabriel and VAR did not intervene.

VAR decision: VAR did not feel that a clear error had been made by the referee and confirmed the yellow card.

VAR review: VAR John Brooks would have taken the lead from the on-field communications from Anthony Taylor when reviewing this incident. Taylor’s view of the possible violent act by Gabriel and its subsequent contact was very credible, having all the information available to him and gave his rationale accordingly.

In law, a red card for violent conduct is considered when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball. However, such an action can be judged as a yellow card for adopting an aggressive attitude if the referee deems the contact as negligible.

This was the explanation given by Taylor and VAR did not fully disagree. In this situation and its specific circumstances, VAR would not have looked to intervene and would have backed either a yellow or a red card based on the referee’s comms.

Verdict / Insight: Let’s be clear, Gabriel is very fortunate to end the game without receiving a red card for violent conduct. His action in pushing his head towards Haaland in an aggressive manner was unwise to say the least. Haaland staying on his feet, many wouldn’t, certainly allowed Taylor the opportunity to manage the incident with a wider perspective.

The contact, in truth, probably wasn’t with excessive force and therefore, you could argue a credible outcome was reached. However, it was a risk from referee Taylor, as if the game ended any other way, then City winning the game, his decision to only yellow would have been a potential game changer.

In my opinion, Gabriel should have been sent off. It was an attempted violent act and regardless of the level of contact or injury to his opponent, the action met the criteria for a red card.