PGMOL release VAR audio from Bruno Fernandes’ overturned red card against Spurs and it speaks volumes

Fernandes had his red card against Tottenham overturned on appeal.

PGMOL have released the VAR audio from Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes’ red card against Tottenham Hotspur.

Fernandes was shown a straight red card for a foul on James Maddison during United’s 3-0 defeat.

United filed a wrongful dismissal claim, which was accepted by the Premier League.

That meant the Portugal international was available for the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, rather than serving his original three-game ban for serious foul play.

Fernandes himself was less than happy with the initial award of a red card, telling Sky Sports: “Even James Maddison, when he gets up, he said it’s not a red card.

“If this is a red card, we have to look at many other incidents.

“I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call [the referee] to the screen. The red card makes it worse.”

Now, the VAR audio around the red card has been released by the PGMOL.

The on-field assistant referee was almost instanteneous in deeming the foul to be a red card, with referee Chris Kavanagh agreeing with that call.

The VAR then says: “It’s shin height. Does he rake down?

“It’s a deliberate act. There’s been no attempt to play the ball. The angle you’ll start seeing on the broadcast doesn’t necessarily show it’s the studs.”

The assistant VAR comments: “There is a slip, but then there’s an action which makes contact with the shin.”

But the main VAR concludes: “I think ref’s call. Kav, I’m confirming the on-field call of red card with serious foul play. Check complete.”

You can listen to the full audio below.

The audio confirms that VAR officials saw Fernandes slip before making the challenge, but deemed the contact with Maddison’s shin to be enough to award a red card.

Speaking on the ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ show, PGMOL chief Howard Webb confirmed a mistake had been made.

He said: “The red card was correctly overturned on appeal.

“When the VAR checks it, he forms the opinion that the ‘referee’s call is not clearly wrong because he sees the action with the high contact, no attempt to play the ball, with some force and therefore decides in his professional judgment that the ‘referee’s call’ is not clearly wrong.

“I think it is [wrong]. Because it’s the side of the foot, there’s absolutely no studs, there’s no driving the foot into the opponent.

“It’s more of a tripping action. There’s no excessive force, there’s no endangering the safety of Maddison.

“When you have the benefit of seeing this in the way we can here, we think this should have been an intervention … the VAR should have sent the referee to the screen to see this angle.”