VAR took centre stage once again on Saturday after Tomas Soucek was shown a late red card for an elbow on Aleksandar Mitrovic in West Ham's 0-0 draw with Fulham.
An uneventful contest was suddenly thrown into life when VAR referee Lee Mason recommended that Mike Dean check the incident on the pitchside monitor.
After repeatedly watching the incident in slow motion, Soucek was adjudged to have carried out violent conduct despite his elbow appearing to clip the Fulham striker accidentally.
Watch Tomas Soucek's red card against Fulham
🤯 Tomas Soucek was shown a red card for this incident at the end of West Ham's 0-0 draw with Fulham.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) February 6, 2021
👀 Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/gybz9Mskm5
Jamie Redknapp blasts VAR decision
Speaking as part of Sky Sports' coverage of the game, Jamie Redknapp was furious with the decision to send Soucek off and believes that incidents such as this are a 'genuine worry' going forward.
"This is why so many people get frustrated when they watch football now, when they see things like that," Redknapp said.
"It just goes away from what we love about the game. People might say 'VAR is still not the voice of reason, it doesn't get everything right' but you've got two people there looking at it.
"The fact that Mike Dean went over there and still thinks that it is a red card is a genuine worry to me."
😡 "The fact Mike Dean went over there and still thinks it's a red card is a genuine worry to me."
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) February 6, 2021
And to everyone else too.
Jamie Redknapp with his damning verdict on the red card given to Tomas Soucek pic.twitter.com/OYy3XomZaQ
Former Fulham and West Ham striker Bobby Zamora was in agreement with Redknapp on the decision.
"He's (Mike Dean) actually looking at it there at the time. I don't see how Lee Mason has even asked him to go and look at it again," Zamora stated.
"And then to stand there, he must have seen it 20 or 30 times. I'll tell you what, in slow motion it doesn't look great but when you see it in actual speed and you know exactly what is going on, how can he come to that decision?"
Mike Dean has shown 7% of all red cards in Premier League history 🔴 pic.twitter.com/csxdRIdvp4
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 6, 2021
Moyes: I'm embarrased for Dean
David Moyes said he was “embarrassed” for referee Mike Dean.
“No, because I think both are good referees and have been throughout their careers,” Moyes said when asked if the refereeing duo should work together.
"I'm more embarrassed for whoever is on VAR because if they don't see it's accidental...I don't know what to say."
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) February 6, 2021
An exasperated David Moyes when being asked about Tomas Soucek's red card... pic.twitter.com/HkgXIrT5xj
“That worries me even more that they’ve made that decision tonight. I’m amazed they’ve even sent them to look at it.
“Even more amazed that Mike chose to do something with it. What can we do? I don’t think anyone in football or football management are convinced by the rulings we’re involved in.”
Moyes said he did not ask Dean to explain himself, adding: “I’m actually quite embarrassed for Mike that he would have made that decision.”
