Gary Lineker is a former footballer
Legendary footballer Gary Lineker has said that midfielder Moisés Caicedo did not deserve a red card during Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal in their Premier League clash.
Caicedo made contact with the buckle of Mikel Merino’s ankle, an incident reviewed by Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Referee Anthony Taylor deemed it excessive force when Caicedo’s boot shifted back on the turf and subsequently sent him off.
Reacting to the incident, Lineker argued that the tackle was a clean one, especially when viewed at normal speed, since the Ecuadorian midfielder’s foot was on the ground and not raised.
He criticised VAR’s use of slow-motion replay, which he said made the tackle look far worse than it was and ultimately influenced referee Taylor to overturn his initial decision and issue a red card.
The former BBC sports host noted that such a challenge would not have been considered a foul during his playing days, let alone a red card offence.
“I don’t think they should have slow motion for things like that. It is the same way when you see still shots of people’s feet. I mean, his foot was not raised; it was on the ground. It was a millisecond late for the ball, and slow motion makes it look terrible.
“So I understand exactly why they overturned his decision. I don’t even think that would have been a foul in my day, let alone a red card. I watched it lots of times in normal speed, and that’s just a fraction,” he said on The Rest is Football podcast.
Watch Lineker’s comment below:
“Slow motion distorts what actually happens” 👀
Did Moisés Caicedo deserve to be sent off? @UberEats_UK AD pic.twitter.com/YN5IB4lO6R
— The Rest Is Football (@RestIsFootball) December 1, 2025
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