Pascal Struijk: two panels disagree on his Brighton red card

Pascal Struijk, of Brighton & Hove Albion, is back in the spotlight after his VAR red in the 2-0 win over Sunderland: two separate independent panels now disagree on whether he should have been sent off.

Earlier this month, in the second half, Struijk was shown a red for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The call came after VAR review, ultimately judging he fouled Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as the ball ran through to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant initially booked a foul, but VAR Neil Davies prompted an on-field check, after which Bramall changed his decision.

Brighton appealed, arguing wrongful dismissal. An FA-linked independent regulatory commission overturned the red card and the following one-match ban. The controversy, though, didn’t end there: the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel voted 3-2 that the VAR intervention was correct, according to Sky Sports.