The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, Mike Dean, admitted on Thursday that he erred in ruling that Cristian Romero of Tottenham grabbed Marc Cucurella’s hair.
On-field referee Anthony Taylor decided not to call the foul, and Spurs took advantage by scoring a late equalizer to salvage a point from Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Taylor and Dean received criticism from Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who added that it was “quite evident.” Romero committed a foul with a red card.
Following a heated altercation after the final whistle, the FA has charged both Tuchel and Antonio Conte of Spurs.
As VAR, I was unable to give Taylor a free kick, but I could suggest that he go to the referee review area to think about getting a red card. Romero pulling Cucurella’s hair wasn’t perceived as violent by me in the few time I had to observe it.
Since then, I’ve seen the video, talked to other refs, and realized that I should have asked Taylor to go to his pitch-side monitor and have a look for himself. The decision-making authority always rests with the field referee.
However, Mike Dean was relieved of his VAR duties for the weekend’s schedule of Premier League games as a result of the numerous contentious decisions made during the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
After two contentious judgments, both teams shared the points in the match at Stamford Bridge, which Taylor oversaw.
After Taylor and Dean decided not to discipline Cristian Romero for tugging Marc Cucurella’s hair in the penalty area, Harry Kane’s late equalizer was the result of the incident.
A petition against Taylor was started by thousands of Chelsea supporters after Kane headed home from the ensuing corner deep into stoppage time.
However, Dean appears to have been relieved of his VAR responsibilities because he is not mentioned for any of the games this weekend, though it is unclear why.
