BBC pundit Chris Sutton was far from impressed with Newcastle United center-back Fabian Schär’s actions during the weekend. The controversy arose when Newcastle was awarded a penalty in their match against Wolves, with Hwang Hee-Chan deemed to have fouled Schär in the box towards the end of the first half.
Callum Wilson successfully converted the penalty, maintaining his flawless record from the spot for the Magpies. However, there were lingering doubts about the referee’s decision. In real-time, it appeared that both Schär and Hwang were vying for the same ball, with Schär reaching it first. However, Hwang’s swing to clear the ball resulted in contact with the defender, rather than the ball. This is why Anthony Taylor initially awarded the penalty.
Upon further review, it became evident that the contact was minimal, and if anything, Schär seemed to have initiated it by deliberately making contact with Hwang, who had refrained from going for the ball. The initial belief was that, since the penalty appeared to be clear-cut in real-time, Taylor’s on-field decision was the correct one, and VAR couldn’t overturn it, though they did take their time reaching that conclusion.
Chris Sutton, however, strongly disagreed with this explanation. He voiced his grievances on BBC 5 Live, stating, “Do you know this week’s winner of the simulation game? It was ridiculous from Rodri, but a Swiss Roll from Fabian Schär. What was he doing going down like that? You are a good player, Fabian, but that wasn’t a fabulous moment. It wasn’t a fabulous career moment. You are so much better than that. Just stop it. You are a good player. Just cut it out. It doesn’t matter where you are around the world. We will hunt you down. You will win these awards, these awards you don’t want to win.”
While it may seem a bit harsh to label it as a dive from the center-back, it can be conceded that he was certainly seeking contact and may have exaggerated the situation. Nonetheless, an award is an award, Fabian, so there’s that!
Leave a Reply