VAR audio recording of Declan Rice red card incident reveals referee ‘didn’t like’ decision

Referee Chris Kavanagh has admitted he did not like the decision to send off Declan Rice for a second yellow card in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton but said he had “no choice” after the England international delayed the restart by kicking the ball.

Rice was sent off for the first time in his career as Arsenal dropped points at home, with manager Mikel Arteta saying he was “surprised, astonished” by the decision. Rice pushed the ball away from Joel Veltman as he prepared to take a free-kick.

The audio recording of the VAR discussion has now been released, in which referee Kavanagh tells Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard that Rice put him “in a terrible position” by kicking the ball away while he was already on a yellow card.

“I had no choice, he kicked the ball. You kicked the ball, you did it,” Rice was heard telling him on the latest episode of Premier League’s Mic’d Up. “He kicked the ball. You’ve got to go Dec, you’ve got to go.”

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it. But he hit the ball, he kicked the ball. Dec, you’ve got to go, I’m afraid.”

Kavanagh’s decision was supported at the time by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and the Key Match Incidents Panel, and later by PGMOL operations director Howard Webb.

During his appearance on Mic’d Up, Webb explained: “He clearly saw Declan Rice commit a foul and then kick the ball to an opponent who was taking a free kick.

“We sent a very clear and strong message to the players in pre-season about the importance of not getting involved with the ball once the whistle has blown, not delaying the restart in that way.

“Once he sees Declan Rice deliberately, clearly, kick that ball away from the position of that free-kick, then I don’t think he has a choice.”

After the 1-1 draw, Arteta was angry that Kavanagh had been inconsistent in not showing Brighton player Joao Pedro a yellow card after he kicked the ball during the first half, and Webb admitted Pedro should have been booked.

“It’s in the same kind of case as delaying the restart. Of course he should have been cautioned here,” Webb said. “The on-field officials gave him too much benefit of the doubt.”