Pascal Struijk’s red card decision has produced sharply differing verdicts after an independent disciplinary commission overturned his dismissal, while the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel voted that the VAR intervention was correct.
The Brighton defender was sent off during his side’s 2-0 win over Sunderland earlier this month after being judged to have fouled Wilson Isidor as the striker chased a pass that ran through to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Referee Thomas Bramall and his assistant initially allowed play to continue. VAR Neil Davies then recommended an on-field review, after which Bramall watched several replays before changing his decision and showing Struijk a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Brighton appealed against the dismissal and the resulting one-match suspension. An independent regulatory commission convened through the Football Association subsequently ruled in the club’s favour and overturned both the red card and the ban.
However, the five-member Key Match Incidents panel reached the opposite conclusion by a 3-2 vote. Two members supported the on-field decision, believing it was unlikely that Isidor would have taken possession of the ball.
The panel said Struijk had committed a “cynical foul clearly impacting the attacker’s ability to gain possession of the ball which should have been penalised by the referee”.
Two other panellists disagreed, arguing that it was subjective whether Isidor would have reached the ball and that VAR should not have intervened.
The Premier League said the contrasting outcomes were possible because the KMI panel and the regulatory commission were “entirely separate bodies with different purposes and processes”.
Red cards for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity after a VAR review remain uncommon because such decisions are often open to interpretation. Last season, Dominik Szoboszlai and Maxence Lacroix were sent off in similar circumstances, while Marcos Senesi avoided a dismissal after referee Jarred Gillett rejected VAR advice.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said the incident did not represent a clear mistake that required intervention, particularly with VAR operating under a lighter-touch approach this season.
“I don’t think it’s a sending off, it’s very harsh,” Dean said. “There’s a slight barge but the ball has gone through to the goalkeeper. Isidor is never going to get the ball, so the on-field decision is correct.”
Dermot Gallagher felt the incident could instead be considered a possible goalscoring opportunity. “It’s a foul. If the referee whistles at that point, pulls out a yellow card, and it all goes away,” he said.
Former players Michael Dawson and Jay Bothroyd also questioned whether the challenge met the threshold for VAR intervention. Dawson said he would have stayed with the original decision because it was “not clear and obvious”, while Bothroyd believed the goalkeeper was likely to reach the ball.
