Jeff Stelling has questioned how Vladimir Coufal wasn’t sent off in the Premier League clash between West Ham and Wolves despite a VAR check.
The broadcasting legend slammed the VAR officials, claiming everybody in the world could have seen that it was a red card offence apart from those making the decision.
Stelling labelled the first incident from Coufal an assault, saying he should have been sent off twice in the game after leading with his elbow in the challenge.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [17 December, 06:10], Stelling ranted: “How did Vladimir Coufal not get sent off – twice in the game at the weekend? I mean, his assaults on [Jeanricner] Belgarde… Oh the first one, he led with his elbow.
“VAR took a look at it, and this is what diminishes VAR because they looked at it and everybody in the nation, everybody in the world could see it was a red card, but not the VAR.”
Regardless of your club allegiances, it was clear to everybody watching that Coufal smashed into Bellegarde with his elbow, making no attempt to get the ball but instead just flying into the opposition player with his elbow/forearm straight into his face.
As Stelling says, when the VAR review began and the replays were shown, the only people who didn’t think it was a red card offence were those at Stockley Park making the ultimate decision and the on-field official.
Suggesting that the call will diminish VAR is a bit of a strong shout from the broadcaster, given some of the other outrageous decisions the officials have made this season in particular, but it will certainly bring the questions back about whether it is fit for purpose.
Wolves in particular may feel hard done by after some of the decisions that have gone against them this season, with West Ham and Coufal the latest to benefit from the decisions, while boss Gary O’Neill has previously spoken out against the decisions
