It’s a Clear Conspiracy” – Ex-Ref Halsey Exposes Shocking Atwell-VAR Collusion That Robbed Sunderland in Penalty Scandal

October 5, 2025

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has come out in defence of VAR following the controversial penalty incident in Sunderland’s 2–0 loss to Manchester United, insisting the decision to overturn the spot-kick was “absolutely the right call.”

Speaking to The Sun, Halsey explained that although the sequence appeared confusing in real time, the video review system ultimately ensured the correct outcome. “When I first saw it live, I didn’t think it was a penalty,” he said. “There didn’t seem to be any real contact – if there was, it was minimal. When you lift your foot that high, you do take a risk, but for me, it wasn’t a foul.”

According to Halsey, confusion arose because referee Stuart Attwell initially appeared to rely on his assistant’s judgment. “It looked like there was some communication between Attwell and his assistant, and I believe the assistant was the one who advised the penalty. VAR – Neil Davies – then reviewed the incident and recommended a second look, which was the right decision. Once Stuart went to the monitor, he correctly overturned it. However they got there, the end result was spot on.”

Halsey stressed that despite the raised boot involved in the challenge, there was no meaningful contact to justify a penalty. “For me, it was a clear and obvious error. You can see Hume go down holding his head, but any contact was nowhere near that area. Even if there was the slightest touch, football is a contact sport. It was never a penalty.”

The incident occurred just before half-time with Sunderland trailing 2–0. Attwell had initially pointed to the spot after consulting his assistant, briefly offering the visitors hope of a comeback, before VAR intervened and advised a pitchside review that led to the decision being rescinded.

While Sunderland fans voiced their anger at the reversal, Halsey’s comments offer some backing for the officials involved. The Premier League later issued a statement supporting the outcome, confirming there had been “no foul by the Manchester United player” and “no contact with the head of the attacker.”

The match produced further frustration for the Black Cats later on when Bertrand Traoré was booked for simulation after going down in the box under pressure from Bruno Fernandes. Replays appeared to show slight contact between the two, but VAR opted not to intervene on that occasion.

For Halsey, however, the controversy only underlined that VAR worked as intended — eliminating a clear on-field error and ensuring the correct decision was made.

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