Rice was carded, not dismissed, in the 97th minute of Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. He had released the ball when Yalcouye nudged him in the back, and Rice responded by kicking out and knocking the Brighton substitute to the ground. Referee Darren England produced a yellow card. VAR, run by Tim Wood, chose not to intervene, ruling the retaliation “petulant at best” rather than violent conduct.
That verdict has not settled the argument.
Mark Clattenburg, who refereed in the Premier League until 2017, said VAR should have called Rice to the monitor. He described the kick as a premeditated act with clear malice, and argued the on-field decision had to be overturned.
“There is no doubt that Declan Rice should be sent off for kicking Malick Yalcouye off the ball. This was a premeditated act and makes a clear movement to kick his opponent while not attempting to play the ball. The kick had clear malice, and the VAR should have recommended a review.”
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Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett went further, telling Football Insider that England’s yellow card missed the letter of the law.
“This kick in retaliation is, in law, a violent action and Rice is fortunate that referee England did not display a red card.”
Barber and Shearer back the referee
Not every former official agreed. Graham Barber, another ex-Premier League referee, told GiveMeSport that Rice’s motion did not clear the bar for a dismissal because he never actually connected.
“Declan Rice’s incident wasn’t as bad as that, right? Because he actually never really kicked him. He actually just followed through with his knee, and so I think yellow card was the right decision for me.”
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Alan Shearer, working for BBC’s Match of the Day, reached the same conclusion.
“He gives him the yellow card. I don’t think it was too aggressive, he didn’t lash out at him, therefore I think the referee got that right.”
Foden’s red still hangs over the call
The reason the argument has traction is what happened in the Manchester derby the week before. Phil Foden was shown a straight red for violent conduct in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes after being fouled, in an incident Sky Sports reported drew heavy scrutiny of Fernandes’s role.
Hackett tied the two cases together, arguing PGMOL has been inconsistent when a boot lands on an opponent. Because VAR checked Rice’s incident and let the on-field call stand, retrospective action from the FA is not expected under current protocols.
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Rice will be available for Arsenal’s fixtures against Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Everton after the international break.
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