Carrick on Martinez’s red card: The game’s gone (0:49)Michael Carrick voices his opinions over Lisandro Martinez’s red card, for a hair pull against Dominic Calvert-Lewin. (0:49)
Andy DaviesMultiple AuthorsApr 14, 2026, 07:18 AM ET
Video assistant referee causes controversy every week whether it be the Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
What happened: What initially appeared to be an innocuous aerial challenge involving Manchester United defender Martinez and Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, resulted in the defender being sent off for pulling Calvert-Lewin’s hair after a VAR review.
Why was this a red card: Following a new directive this season, referees have been asked to apply a strict threshold whenever hair pulling occurs. This action is deemed as a non-football action and not acceptable within a typical challenge. Indeed, it must be deemed violent conduct and sanctioned with a red card.
A precedent was set in the Premier League when Everton defender Michael Keane was punished for a similar foul on Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare back in January.
However, in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Arsenal’s Katie McCabe was not punished when she clearly pulled the hair of Chelsea player Alyssa Thompson. Neither the on-field referee team nor the VAR identified this incident as a red-card offence and the Arsenal player went unpunished.
Verdict: Given the current guidance from PGMOL and the Premier League, the decision to send off Martinez was the correct one, though United boss Michael Carrick said afterwards that it was “one of worst he’s ever seen.”
An increase in these types of incidents in recent seasons led the authorities to send a strong message that this type of act would be dealt with zero tolerance. While this stance is unlikely to change for the remainder of the season, I would anticipate some discussion over the summer on this topic and whether authorities should continue with a zero-tolerance policy.
The Women’s Champions League incident was a clear error as the action met all the criteria for violent conduct on its own, irrespective of any new directive advised to the match officials.
The action by McCabe was deliberate, with force and, in my opinion, should have been identified by the on-field referee and the fourth official. The non-intervention by VAR was particularly disappointing and difficult to understand; it was a clear red-card offence, and the Arsenal player should have been sent off.
Carrick on Martinez’s red card: The game’s gone (0:49)Michael Carrick voices his opinions over Lisandro Martinez’s red card, for a hair pull against Dominic Calvert-Lewin. (0:49)
Michael Carrick voices his opinions over Lisandro Martinez’s red card, for a hair pull against Dominic Calvert-Lewin. (0:49)
Referee: Paul Tierney VAR: John Brooks Incident: Lisandro Martinez red card