“Did Wolves deserves the win?”- Bournemouth manger ANDONI Iraola Breaks Silence as he claimes his side were clearly clearly cheated by VAR as he provide convincing points to back his claim. What is your opinion on his verdict
Andoni Iraola expressed his belief that the VAR influenced referee Michael Salisbury’s decision to send off Illia Zabarnyi, a moment that changed the course of the match against Wolves.
Zabarnyi made a sliding challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri after 30 minutes at the Vitality Stadium, with Salisbury initially showing the Ukrainian a yellow card.
However, VAR official Stuart Attwell reviewed the situation and urged the referee to take another look at the incident, leading him to upgrade the card to red.
Cherries beaten by Wolves after first-half Zabarnyi red card
That moment proved pivotal, as Wolves took the lead through Matheus Cunha just five minutes later. Despite their efforts, the Cherries were unable to find an equalizer and lost 1-0.
When asked about the red card decision after the match, Iraola said, “I don’t understand the process or the consequences of that red card.
The referee initially saw it in real-time, at full speed, from a perfect position, and gave a yellow card. For VAR to intervene, it has to be a clear and obvious mistake.”
He continued, “Anyone who’s played football knows that Zaba went for the ball, slipped, and after making contact with the ball, his foot caught the Wolves player.
But when I saw that VAR decided to intervene, I noticed they showed only the worst angle, in slow motion, at the most dramatic moment.
With five other angles, it looked like a yellow card. They chose to show the one angle that made it look worse. It felt like they had already made up their minds.”
Iraola added, “The referee didn’t have much choice but to give the red card, and the consequences are significant.
Zaba will likely miss around four games, potentially not returning until April, for an incident that, in my opinion, everyone can understand.”
Reflecting on the game after the red card, Iraola said, “Going down to 10 men gave Wolves a big advantage.
We had to adjust our approach, and though we conceded the goal while still reorganizing, we fought hard.
We were able to adapt a bit, and despite playing with one less player, we didn’t allow many chances.
“Although our finishing wasn’t great, it’s understandable given the mental and physical toll on the players after such an intense effort.”
