Miles Lewis-Skelly's red card overturned after appeal
Yesterday at 11:15 PM
Vindication
In a season filled with absurdities and frustration for the Gunners, something finally broke Arsenal FC's way when it was announced that the FA upheld the club's appeal over Miles Lewis-Skelly's red card against Wolves on Saturday, overturning the defenders three-match ban.
The Hale End product was sent off by referee Michael Oliver for "serious foul play" after committing a run-of-the-mill cynical foul to break up a Wolves transition in their own half. Lewis-Skelly caught Matt Doherty on the top of his trailing foot from behind, prompting the official to reach for a red, which was confirmed by VAR in shockingly quick fashion.
The call was made all the more maddening when, in the second half, Oliver proceeded to issue a second yellow to João Gomes instead of a straight red after catching Jurrien Timber above the ankle with his studs, a textbook dangerous play.
Hell may or may not have frozen over following the event. Since Lewis-Skelly's egregious sending off, the overwhelming discourse across the footballing world has centered around the call, with the vast majority of pundits in full agreement that Oliver's decision and VAR's lack of intervention was beyond the pale, including former match officials. Even former villain official Mike Dean agreed the call was wrong (until a puzzling about-face the following day).
That didn't stop the PGMOL from doubling down in support of Oliver's call. Sunday saw the governing body for officiating release a statement that not only backed up the decision, but also call out the abuse Oliver received in the wake of the backlash. To be clear, abuse of any form is uncalled for - toward officials, players, and managers. But their emotionally-laden message felt as heavy handed as Oliver's penchant to send off Arsenal players, and served as a deflection from the larger problem: officiating inconsistency.
The controversy has shined a glaring light on the state of refereeing and the role of VAR. When it was first introduced, VAR was touted as a form of checks and balances meant to correct clear and obvious errors on the pitch, which Oliver's decision clearly fell under. Instead, it has seemed to hurt more than it has helped, with countless errors leading to baffling results and changing the landscape of not just Arsenal's recent seasons, but countless other clubs as well.
For now, it's just nice to see the right thing happen. Cooler heads have prevailed, and the PGMOL is left punching at ghosts.
