Howard Webb backs VAR for not sending Sven Botman off against Aston Villa

Webb defends lighter-touch VAR approach after Newcastle-Villa controversy

Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb believes there was nothing "clearly wrong" with the decision not to send off Newcastle defender Sven Botman for his tackle on Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson.

Sven Botman in action for Newcastle United in the Premier League

Sky Sports pundits widely criticised referee Jarred Gillett for showing only a yellow card and VAR Stuart Attwell for backing the on-field call in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Villa on Saturday.

"If VAR can't see that's a red, we're in trouble," said Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp. "It is so dangerous. How he's not broken his leg there... I like to see aggression. I want to see 50/50 tackles, but you can't do that anymore."

After the game Jackson told Sky Sports: "The referee said it was a yellow card but it was so high. Hopefully next time it is a red card. I nearly broke my leg, but it's fine. It's part of football."

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher said on Ref Watch: "I think it's a red card. It's got everything for a red card tackle - it's got speed, intensity, he scissors him."

Sky Sports’ Jay Bothroyd added: "Botman is more violent conduct than the headbutt [from Yehor Yarmoliuk at Brentford]. He could have broken his leg."

"We don't want the referee's decision to be re-refereed by the VAR"

On Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb said the incident reflects this season’s approach of VAR not re-refereeing on-field decisions.

"We've seen quite a lot of robust tackling in the Premier League. This weekend we saw quite a few examples of strong tackles going in; it's part of the English game, the Premier League and what people like. We want to embrace that but we also have a responsibility to ensure players' safety," Webb said.

"Many of those situations that we've seen with those types of tackles are subjective - the referee's having to make a determination in the moment on how much force is used and the nature of the tackle. We've really tried to encourage referees this season to make decisive on-field decisions, and in this situation we see the referee make a judgement on Joelinton's tackle by playing advantage and then Botman comes in.

"The referee in the moment, on the ground, sees it as a reckless challenge - no doubt a high-end reckless challenge - as Botman comes in and gets a touch on the ball. There's obviously some speed he comes in with. The VAR looks at that decision and tries to identify whether that was clearly wrong."

Webb added: "We don't want the referee's decision to be re-refereed by the VAR; we want the referee to have ownership of the decision and the VAR to only step in when there's an element that's clearly wrong.

"So if the VAR had seen strong stud contact from Botman's extended leg into the ankle or shin of Jackson, or there had been a closing of the scissor, I think we'd have probably come out with a different outcome after the VAR had looked at it. But he doesn't see that. He realises it's subjective, and he allows it to stay on the field with the referee's call standing."

"Equally, if that had been a red card, for sure it would've been check complete by the VAR as well. So, it's a good example really of how the referee's call is working in the Premier League this season. A lighter-touch approach: let the referees referee the decision and the VAR step in when there's something clearly really wrong."

What the officials said

VAR Stuart Attwell: "I don't like that. Right, so he hits the ball; he goes over the top of the ball. He doesn't go studs into the leg, but he goes round it with a scissor challenge."

Attwell asked Assistant VAR Craig Taylor: "What are you thinking?"

Assistant VAR: "I think he plays the ball and there's limited contact with the player's leg."

VAR: "It's not with the studs, is it? It goes round him."

AVAR: "It's not with the studs. It's not a clear point of contact."

VAR: "There's no secondary scissor action."

VAR: "Jarred, confirming yellow card for Sven Botman and confirming yellow card for Joelinton. Two reckless tackles."

Bentancur red and Shaw yellow 'right outcome'

Webb also said Rodrigo Bentancur's red card and Luke Shaw's yellow card after the pair clashed in Tottenham's 1-1 draw at Manchester United were "absolutely the right outcome".

"When players make contact with their head, they're running a really high risk. It's seen as a violent act," said Webb. "When we apply the laws of the game, we differentiate between the neck, face and head compared to contacts into the chest. For us not to send off for contact into the face or head, it has to be deemed negligible and in this case it's not.

"It's a fairly forceful act by Bentancur. You could argue the push by Shaw is also forceful but it's in the chest. You don't often see players sent off for pushes to the chest. A yellow card for Luke Shaw, but it has to be a red card for Bentancur reacting in the way he does with his head."

Webb did not address Morgan Rogers' escape from a red card in Chelsea's 2-0 win at Everton on Saturday or Cole Palmer's late challenge in Tuesday's edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up.