Arsenal learn new Howard Webb theory as William Saliba red card saga takes another twist

Richard Keys has chimed in on the controversy over Howard Webb and his potential role in William Saliba's red card incident against Bournemouth. The 23-year-old defender was first shown a yellow card in the first half of Arsenal's 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth, but following VAR intervention his booking was escalated to a red.

Webb, the chief of the PGMOL, was in attendance at the Vitality Stadium for the Premier League clash and he was spotted on his phone during the VAR check, sparking online speculation that he might have influenced the decision. This theory has been dismissed, but Keys has reignited the debate, expressing empathy with Arsenal supporters upset by the event.

In his blog, as quoted by the Mirror, Keys said: "I can understand why Arsenal fans were furious that Chelsea's Tosin wasn't sent-off in a replica of the incident that saw Saliba dismissed the previous day. Perhaps the difference was that Howard Webb wasn't at the game?

"The PGMOL tell us that Webb had nothing to do with Saliba's sending off so we must believe them. But who was he texting? Was he ordering pizza? A car home? Dinner somewhere? We'll never know. What I do know is that it wasn't a good look to get caught on the phone at that moment."

The Premier League made it clear why William Saliba's caution was escalated to a dismissal on Saturday night. An official statement read: "The referee gave Saliba a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson. The VAR deemed that Saliba denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card."

Meanwhile, Dave Jones, the Sky Sports host, was quick to dismiss any conspiracy theories involving Howard Webb, the PGMOL head, who was spotted in the crowd. He said: "There have been one or two people you might have seen on social media speculating about what Howard Webb was up to in the crowd, the head of the PGMOL.

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"He's got that earpiece in as well, he's got his phone out. But what we understand he is doing is listening to a match feed of the VAR officials and their communication with the on-field officials, as we do as broadcasters.

"But he has no input, he has no ability to talk to the officials who are actually making the decisions. He's not trying to [influence things], he's watching the game."

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