Richard Keys criticized PGMOL chief Howard Webb as VAR reviewed an incident involving William Saliba during Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth on Saturday.
In the 30th minute of the Premier League game at the Vitality Stadium, referee Rob Jones initially showed Saliba a yellow card for bringing down Evanilson. However, after a prolonged VAR review on the field, the yellow card was upgraded to a red.
During the review process, some speculated whether Howard Webb had any involvement in the decision, after cameras captured him talking on his phone in the stands. One notable voice was former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who questioned Webb’s role in the now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post: “Was Howard Webb involved in the decision making of the red card for Saliba?”
Carragher wasn’t alone in raising concerns. Richard Keys, a former Sky Sports presenter, also shared his thoughts on X, writing: “Who was Howard Webb texting? And why?”
Sam Dean, a reporter for The Telegraph, added his perspective, stating: “My understanding is that Howard Webb, who is present at Bournemouth vs. Arsenal, can only listen to the refereeing audio. He has no authority to communicate directly.”
After Saliba’s dismissal, the Premier League’s Match Centre offered an explanation for the decision: “The referee initially gave Saliba a yellow card for his challenge on Evanilson. VAR judged that Saliba had denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and suggested an on-field review, leading the referee to upgrade the yellow card to a red.”
