Everton: Richard Keys rages at ‘crisis’ as news emerges from Goodison Park on Tuesday – ‘All-time low’
Richard Keys has raged at the VAR “crisis” that is emerging in English football after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s controversial sending-off for Everton was overturned.
The Times journalist Paul Joyce shared on his personal Twitter account (9 January) that the Toffees have won their appeal for the striker’s controversial dismissal against the Seagulls (4 January) after a tackle on defender Nathaniel Clyne.
On-field referee Chris Kavanagh had been advised to review the incident on a pitchside monitor after an intervention from video assistant referee Michael Salisbury.
And sports broadcaster Keys took to his personal Twitter account (9 January) to argue that refereeing right now is at “an all-time low” and that Referees chief Howard Webb is probably planning another TV show “full of apologies” to clubs.
He posted: “Of course, Calvert-Lewin was going to get off that red. Refereeing is at an all-time low. Refs confidence is with it. VAR is in crisis. Where is Howard Webb? Almost certainly planning another tv show full of apologies. It’s not good enough.”
Terrible crisis
Refereeing is indeed at an all-time low right now and the decision to send off Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Palace at Selhurst Park only goes to further drive home that point.
Calvert-Lewin’s tackle looked nowhere near one which looked like “excessive” or reckless force. In fact, it was a clean one and the Everton man could have faced an undeserved punishment for it.
While there was slight contact made with the defender’s leg, it wasn’t reckless and out of control, and it almost certainly wasn’t a “clear and obvious” error by Kavanagh to not send him off originally.
Certain tackles or incidents in the Premier League have been overlooked for much worse than the Calvert-Lewin incident and it only highlights the incompetence and lack of consistency from referees today.
It is a huge shame the crisis English football is under and what’s worse is, that the crisis involves those who are supposed to be upholding the sport with integrity and professionalism. Right now, they are far from it and Everton and Sean Dyche could well have been severely punished for it.
Thank God the FA intervened but something has got to be done about the use of the technology because it is ruining the game severely.
In other Everton news, Paul Brown has mooted a new contract for an exit-linked Toffees player.