Late in the game, Chelsea‘s match against Nottingham Forest turned ugly. A heated brawl in the 88th minute saw striker Nicolas Jackson slap an opponent. This has generated a lot of outrage because it appeared to slide under VAR’s radar.
The Beginning Point
The skirmish started when Nottingham’s Neco Williams shoved Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella into the technical area. Tempers flared immediately. That simple foul escalated very quickly into a huge scrum involving players, coaches, and substitutes.
Finally, Nicolas Jackson, already substituted, came running out from the dugout and became part of the problem. The most talked-about moment was his alleged slap against Morato of Nottingham. Such chaos and scandal on the pitch agitated the fans, and Jackson’s intervention did little to quell this storm.
The Trending Slap Incident By Jackson
Videos surfaced showing Jackson supposedly slapping Morato in the face. Not the best view, but it did seem that Jackson’s hand did indeed hit Morato sometime during the scuffle. Fans who witnessed the incident were quick to share their shock on social media.
In normal circumstances, that would have attracted a red card or worse still, a disciplinary action. Not this time round for neither the referee nor the VAR took it that far and acted upon it during the match. The non-punishment of Jackson has caused great debate in all quarters, including social media.
VAR Fails? Fans Reactions
Yet with all the evidence, the VAR officials decided that what Jackson did was not that serious enough for it to be a violation of the violent conduct rule. The referee, Graham Kavanagh, only booked Cucurella and Williams with yellow cards. Jackson’s slap didn’t even seem to draw any attention.
Fans of the forest were furious. They believed Jackson should have been punished tougher. VAR missed an important incident, they would say. Chelsea fans would breathe a sigh of relief that Jackson escaped punishment. But, interestingly, even some neutral fans thought it was questionable.
The moment of VAR made furious fans hound across social media platforms criticizing VAR. In these very moments, an already heated debate on consistency in decisions with VAR has started. Such technology promises fairness, but it’s precisely those moments that make the most die-hard fans question whether it really is reliable.
Can Jackson Face Further Punishments?
While Jackson escaped unpunished during the game, that may not be the final verdict. The FA can make their decisions after the match, and they might ban him. If they find Jackson’s slap actually crossed the line, then they might still give him some form of punishment.
Retrospective bans come up very often in cases when the FA believes an incident has gone unnoticed by referees or VAR. This would come at the worst possible time for Chelsea if Jackson were to receive such a suspension, with the team already dealing with injuries and getting their line-up established in attack.
What Impact Can It Make For The Blues
This will add more pressure to Chelsea at a critical period. The Blues did not have a smooth beginning this term. Things are going to get tougher for them if Jackson is dismissed. Enzo Maresca will have to change his strategy, especially if his starting players continue to be suspended.
The last thing Chelsea needs is this sort of disciplinary issue. This team has been trying hard to establish consistency with the new manager in place, and Jackson’s antics haven’t helped matters one bit. What Maresca will have to do is address it all internally, and hopefully, such incidents will be reduced from now on.
Conclusion
Controversy emerged after Nicolas Jackson’s slap with lots of people asking why he was let off the hook. The decisions from the VAR not to do something with him have put fans extremely divided. Jackson may still end up being disciplined by the FA, which would hurt Chelsea.
The Lesson of the day-the team should move on from this episode. Keeping himself cool should be the lesson followed. The stress here should be on playing smart football, as key matches lie ahead and not getting into unnecessary brawls.
Hopefully, Chelsea and Jackson will be able to put this behind them pretty quickly. But it is likely to be a hot topic of discussion for a while. The FA may or may not have something to say in the matter, but this has thrown up some very important questions about discipline and VAR in modern football.
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