“Completely Bizzare, Referee should have expected VAR intervention”- Henry Winter was left shocked by a “bizarre” incident during the West Ham United vs. Chelsea match, prompting a response from a former FIFA referee.
create a controversial headline to this article: Henry Winter was left shocked by a “bizarre” incident involving Crysencio Summerville during the West Ham United versus Chelsea match.
Julen Lopetegui’s team continued their poor start to the Premier League season with a 3-0 loss to Chelsea on September 21. West Ham had a strong claim for a penalty denied when Summerville was pulled down in the box by Wesley Fofana. Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett criticized the officiating, suggesting that VAR had failed to intervene properly.
Hackett expressed his frustration on X, stating: “Henry, they’re making it up. The referee should have expected VAR intervention. Let down.” Winter responded, “Just bizarre, Keith. Is it time for specialist VARs?”
The inconsistency around penalty decisions in the Premier League is perplexing. Summerville was clearly pulled back as he entered the Chelsea box. While some might argue he went down too easily, there was enough contact to warrant a penalty.
Even if the referee missed it in real-time, VAR was introduced to catch these minor fouls and ensure they are addressed correctly.
Whether a penalty would have changed the outcome of the match is debatable, especially since West Ham was already 2-0 down at that point. However, the inconsistency in officiating needs to be addressed. There should either be specialist VAR officials, as Winter suggests, or clearer guidelines to ensure fair decisions week in and week out.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers’ position regarding a potential exit from Celtic has been speculated amid rumors linking him to the London Stadium.
