BBC Analyst Fabian Schär, the center defender for Newcastle United, did not impress Chris Sutton over the weekend.
At the conclusion of the first half, Newcastle was given a disputed penalty on Saturday night when it was determined that Wolves striker Hwang Hee-Chan had fouled Schär in the box.
For the Magpies, Callum Wilson stepped up to convert the penalty, continuing his perfect record from spot, but there were still unanswered issues.
VAR had a good long look at the penalty decision
While Schär did arrive first, Hwang had swung to make the clearance and grabbed the defender rather than the ball. Schär and Hwang were vying for the same ball. That’s how it seemed in real time, at least, and Anthony Taylor gave the penalty for that reason.
But after closer inspection, it was evident that there had been very little contact—if any at all—and that the Newcastle man had really started it by crossing over Hwang to make contact. Hwang even refrained from pursuing the ball.
The reasoning for this was that, although it appeared to be a stonewall penalty in real time, Taylor made the correct decision on the field, so it wasn’t a blatant error that VAR could reverse. Even yet, it took them a while to reach that decision.
Chris Sutton believes that Schar dived to win the penalty
However, after voicing his complaints on BBC 5 Live last night, Sutton, the former Celtic striker, is not buying that explanation.
“Are you aware of who won the simulation game this week? Rodri’s was crazy, while Fabian Schär’s was a Swiss roll.
How could he have gone down that way? Fabian, you’re a decent player, but that wasn’t a very amazing moment. It wasn’t a very successful professional move. You are far superior to it. Simply quit it. You play the game well. Just stop doing it.
It makes no difference where you are in the world. We are going to find you. These are the accolades you don’t want to win, but you will.
Calling the “magnificent” center-back’s action a dive seems harsh, but we will grant that he was undoubtedly searching for the contact and, let’s say, he took full advantage of it.
Still, Fab, a prize is a prize, isn’t it? Well done!
