The decision by VAR to rescind a red card for Torino striker Antonio Sanabria was right at the margin of the kinds of decisions that should be reviewable by the video assistant, in the view of Italian media.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who suggest that there would not have been too many objections had the decision not been reversed, even if there was a case to be made that VAR got it right.
Match official Giovanni Ayroldi brandished his red card at Sanabria after the Paraguayan had appeared to make contact with Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu whilst the pair were jumping for a ball.
There had been clear contact made by the striker’s forearm and possibly elbow, although it was also questionable how deliberate it was considering both players were fully focused on the ball, and the decision seemed on the harsh side.
In the end, the VAR advised Ayroldi to go and have a look at the pitchside monitor to decide whether his initial decision had been correct, and the official decided based on the video that there was no deliberate or reckless action by Sanabria.
For the Corriere, this is the kind of decision which shows where the boundaries of VAR are, as it seemed a fair decision overall but also was not exactly a “clear and obvious” error to begin with.
