The VAR audio from the decision to send off Virgil van Dijk at Newcastle has been released.
The defender was shown a red card for his challenge on forward Alexander Isak after less than 30 minutes of Liverpool’s eventual 2-1 win at St. James’ Park.
As part of a new Sky Sports series, Match Officials: Mic’d Up, the discussions between on-pitch referee John Brooks and VAR Stuart Attwell have been made available to the public.
The referee was certain the challenge warranted a red card from the beginning, but checks were made to ensure the forward hadn’t strayed into an offside position.
Brooks could be heard on the footage saying to Van Dijk: “Listen, you will be sent off unless he’s offside. It’s very, very tight, OK?”
Upon hearing of his dismissal, the Reds defender labelled the decision a “f***ing joke” in an outburst that was also caught by the audio.
