Why Declan Rice did not get sent off against Brighton

Declan Rice was involved in a foul shortly before the final whistle in Arsenal’s frustrating 3-0 loss to Brighton at the weekend, as the midfielder retaliated by subtly fouling Malick Yalcouyé.

His lashing out earned him a yellow card, while VAR also conducted a check for a possible upgrade to a red card. However, the midfielder was not sent off, which has caused considerable debate throughout the weekend.

The incident came after similar examples of players lashing out had resulted in bookings in recent weeks, including Phil Foden against Manchester United.

Rice escapes a red card

However, the Rice incident was not deemed as serious as some of those previous incidents, and VAR did not believe it warranted an upgrade. The officials therefore chose to stick with the original decision made on the pitch.

The midfielder is one of the calmest players in the Arsenal team, but the incident could have proved costly. The Premier League has now explained why Rice was not sent off during the match.

The decision means Rice avoided a potential three-match suspension and remains available for Arsenal following the international break. Had the incident been considered serious enough to warrant a red card, his absence could have affected the Gunners in their upcoming league fixtures.

VAR explains its decision

On the incident, Metro Sports wrote: “Video Assistant Referee Timothy Wood did indeed check and clear the incident before England blew the whistle for full-time.

“It is reported that VAR decided the foul ‘did not meet the threshold for violent conduct’, with Rice’s actions considered to be ‘petulant at best’.

“Had the England star been sent off for violent conduct, he would have been suspended for Arsenal’s next three Premier League matches after the international break.”

The explanation provides further context for the decision not to upgrade Rice’s yellow card. While the midfielder’s reaction attracted attention, VAR determined that it did not reach the required threshold for violent conduct.

Rice will therefore avoid the suspension that would have followed a red card and can focus on returning to action with Arsenal after the international break. The incident may have generated debate, but the decision on the pitch ultimately remained unchanged.

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