Sunderland may count themselves fortunate to have ended Saturday’s goalless draw at Brighton with all 11 players still on the pitch.
The point followed last week’s derby win over Newcastle United and was enough to lift the Black Cats up to sixth in the Premier League. However, the closing stages at the Amex could easily have taken a different turn.
Referee Darren England showed only a yellow card to Dan Ballard for a late challenge on Charalampos Kostoulas, a decision that raised plenty of eyebrows. Given the nature of the tackle, Ballard might have been facing a three match suspension had VAR decided to intervene more forcefully.
With Sunderland already set to lose several players to the Africa Cup of Nations in the coming weeks, avoiding a ban for the in form centre back will come as a relief.
Keith Hackett criticises decision
Although the match itself was finely balanced, Brighton felt hard done by over the Ballard incident. Kostoulas reacted quickest to a loose touch, and Ballard caught him with his studs as he arrived late, making firm contact with the midfielder’s shin.
England judged the challenge worthy of a booking rather than a dismissal, but former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett strongly disagreed. Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett said Ballard should have been sent off, describing the tackle as serious foul play and unacceptable. He added that the authorities need to take a stronger stance on such challenges and apply the laws of the game more consistently.
Premier League explanation
The Premier League later issued a brief statement through its Match Centre, confirming that VAR had checked the incident and supported the on field decision. According to the explanation, the contact was considered glancing rather than excessive.
The clarification failed to satisfy many observers, especially after Xavi Simons was shown a red card for a similar challenge later the same day during Tottenham’s match against Liverpool.
Once again, questions over consistency in Premier League refereeing have been brought into sharp focus.