Marc Cucurella: Chelsea defender thinks Cristian Romero pulling his hair is the fault of the referee and VAR | Football news
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella says Cristian Romero’s hair-pulling behavior towards him is “as clear” as day – and considers the decision not to punish the Tottenham defender as “the fault of the referee and the VAR”.
Last weekend’s Super Sunday clash between Chelsea and Tottenham turned dramatic as Romero was spared a penalty for pulling Cucurella’s hair as Spurs hit the corner. From a close in the game, Harry Kane headed into the late corner to equalize 2-2, as coaches Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel clashed in time.
Chelsea manager Tuchel says both Tottenham’s goals last weekend should have gone unscored and Cucurella believes referee Anthony Taylor and VAR Mike Dean made a mistake by not punishing the Tottenham defender.
“For me, it was so obvious in the game, on the pitch,” Cucurella said at a press conference when asked about the incident. “I didn’t watch it on TV, the video. I thought it was obvious, but this is the fault of the referee or the VAR.
Romero was seen pulling Cucurella’s hair just before Tottenham’s equalizer
“Sometimes the referee makes the right decisions, sometimes not. This is not my problem. Maybe we need to work harder to not concede a goal in the last minutes.
“I saw [VAR] check for a red card in the stadium. For me it’s clear. In this moment, I don’t know what happened.”
Cucurella also joked that his hair is fine and that he would never consider changing his style – and added that there are no hard feelings for Tottenham defender Romero.
Cucurella joked that he won’t change his hairstyle after the incident
“I have no problem with him,” the Spaniard added. “It was just an act of the game but maybe it was important because it changed the end result.
“For me, no problem. Before the game, I talked to him [Romero]. I have no problem. It’s just an action in the game. Can be an important action because it changes the end result. We have another chance [to beat Spurs]. “
Romero to avoid prosecution for hair pulling
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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher offers expert analysis of key moments in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge
Romero will not face prosecution for Sunday’s late-game incident – as pulling a player’s hair is not considered an offense under the rules of football.
Retrieval action can only be taken when neither the match officials nor the video detect an incident on the field in real time and do not mention it in their post-match reports.
Had referee Taylor spotted the incident in real time, the correct action would have been a direct free kick for Chelsea, leaving Spurs unable to score from that particular strike.
Unlike rugby, football rules do not specifically address hair pulling. Officials must decide if hair pulling is strong enough to be considered violent.
Otherwise, it could be considered foul play and result in a yellow card.
Tuchel: Taylor shouldn’t referee Chelsea games | ‘Where is VAR?’
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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says his full-time change to Antonio Conte was the result of heightened emotions
In his post-match press conference, Tuchel felt referee Taylor should no longer allow refereeing Chelsea matches after Sunday’s performance.
Regarding Tottenham’s first goal, Chelsea said that they had fouled Kai Havertz in a match-fixing situation. Taylor disagrees.
Referees have been told that there is a higher foul threshold this season to help regulate matches. However, VAR did not look closely at the foul as it was not believed to be in an attacking play like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s goal.
A potential intervention by Richarlison, who was in an offside position when Hojbjerg touched the ball, was sighted. It is his position decision that does not negatively affect the position of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
When asked if Taylor should referee Chelsea again, the German replied: “Perhaps it would be better.
Thomas Tuchel argues with Antonio Conte after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge
“But to be honest, we also have VAR to help make the right decisions. Since when can players get their hair pulled? Since when? If he doesn’t see, I don’t blame him. .
“I didn’t see it, but we have guys at VAR checking this. How is this not a free kick and how can it not be a red card? How?
“It has nothing to do with the referee in this case. If he doesn’t see something, that’s why we have people to check to see if there’s been a decision error.”
Since the match, Tuchel and Conte have both been charged with violating FA Rule E3. It was alleged that the behavior of both managers was improper after the end of the game, with the pair having until Thursday to give their respective responses.
Meanwhile, VAR’s official Dean has not been selected for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures following a controversial finish last Sunday. Meanwhile, referee Taylor will referee the West Ham vs Brighton match on Sunday.
