Webb advocates video tech after Sterling ‘penalty’

Sarah Winterburn

Former Premier League referee Howard Webb thinks there is a case for more technology being brought into football to help officials with penalty decisions.

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling was denied what seemed an obvious penalty against Tottenham on Saturday when Kyle Walker pushed him in the back as he shaped to shoot.

Sterling opted to carry on his run but was off balance and Hugo Lloris saved his shot before Son Heung-min equalised at the other end a minute later. It left Daniel Storey pretty incensed in 16 Conclusions.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw but arguably the course of the match, and result, could have been very different in a game between two sides vying for the title.

Referee Andre Marriner also decided not to send off Walker, and Webb, who was speaking as a pundit on BT Sport 1, believes a video referee could help in these situations.

“You will see the push incident on Sterling and see that it should have been a penalty and red card,” Webb said. “But trying to put myself in his (Marriner’s) shoes, it was a quick break and he was some distance away.

“He’s probably not expecting a push from Kyle Walker, he’s expecting a trip or last-ditch tackle. Maybe he doesn’t really see from behind? The assistant should see it.

“Then he’s got to make a judgement – how much has that impacted on Sterling? He’s still got his shot away and makes a good connection with the ball but you’ve got to make the link about how much that has affected him.

“Maybe again it’s another case for some form of technology to come in so we can go back to Andre in that situation and say ‘stop the game, that’s a penalty and a red card’. Not because it’s one of those marginal calls – we saw earlier Sterling go down with (Victor) Wanyama.

“That’s a marginal call and some people will think that should be a penalty. On balance I thought it wasn’t but you can make a case both ways.

“On this one you can’t, it’s clearly a strong push that affects Sterling’s chance to get a shot away and the video referee would have come back and said ‘give the penalty, send him off’ and Man City go on at 3-1.”