David Brooks Escapes Red Card After VAR Review for Hair-Pulling Incident Against Marc Cucurella During Bournemouth’s Draw at Stamford Bridge

David Brooks and the Controversial Challenge Against Chelsea

In mid-January, Bournemouth’s David Brooks found himself at the center of controversy during a match against Chelsea.

A challenge he made on Marc Cucurella sparked debate, especially after referee Rob Jones was sent to the monitor for review.

Despite the tense situation, Brooks was handed just a yellow card.

The Incident: Brooks and Cucurella’s Tangle

The game at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea initially leading after a fantastic goal from Cole Palmer early in the match.

However, Bournemouth leveled things up after Justin Kluivert scored from the penalty spot early in the second half.

As Chelsea pushed to regain their advantage, a significant moment came when Cucurella tried to make an impact down the left wing.

Brooks, in an attempt to disrupt the attack, appeared to pull Cucurella’s hair during a challenge in Bournemouth’s half.

Commentators even compared the move to a wrestling clothesline maneuver.

While this looked potentially dangerous, Jones didn’t initially penalize Brooks.

The VAR Review: Why No Red Card?

Following the incident, the VAR team urged referee Rob Jones to review the situation on the pitchside monitor for a possible red card due to violent conduct.

After a considerable delay, Jones chose to issue Brooks only a yellow card.

Howard Webb, the chief of PGMOL (the Professional Game Match Officials Board), explained the decision.

Webb clarified that Jones didn’t initially see the challenge and wasn’t making a judgment based on the event itself.

Instead, when the VAR reviewed the footage, they had to assess if it was worthy of a red card.

The VAR official seemed to view the challenge as similar to a clothesline, suggesting a potentially dangerous action.

When Jones reviewed the footage, he didn’t find enough evidence to call it a red card.

He felt it wasn’t an act of brutality, which is required for a red card, and instead decided the challenge was reckless, thus justifying a yellow card.

Webb praised this decision, explaining it was a proper use of VAR to review the potential red card, but Jones ultimately felt it wasn’t severe enough to warrant one.

The Cryptic Message from VAR Official Graham Scott

There was some confusion surrounding the VAR review when official Graham Scott was heard telling Jones, “it’s your gift.

” This cryptic comment raised questions about the VAR process.

Nevertheless, the decision was made, and the yellow card stood.

In an official statement, PGMOL confirmed that VAR recommended the review for violent conduct, but after Jones’ review, he deemed it reckless rather than violent, leading to the yellow card.

Comparing to Other Controversial Decisions

Webb also addressed another controversial incident involving Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card for Arsenal against Wolves.

After VAR’s review, the red card was overturned.

Webb pointed out that although the referee initially thought it was a serious foul play, the contact was not excessive enough to warrant a red.

This case, like the Brooks incident, shows how difficult it can be to make the right decision in such moments.

Ultimately, Webb made it clear that while officials may face criticism, they often make decisions based on their judgment of the situation.

In both cases, the referees took action they felt was correct after reviewing the footage.