A Video Assistant Referee review has confirmed the on-field decision to issue a yellow card to Ipswich Town defender Issa Diop for a foul on Nottingham Forest's James McAtee. The incident occurred during the second half of Sunday's Premier League match, with the official explanation now published.
Diop brought down McAtee with a sliding challenge just outside the penalty area in the 48th minute. Referee Thomas Bramall did not initially award a foul but, after consulting with his assistant, showed Diop a yellow card for stopping a promising attack.
VAR review outcome
VAR official Constantine Hatzidakis then recommended an on-field review for a potential denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, which would have meant a red card. After reviewing the footage, Bramall determined that McAtee had taken a heavy touch and that Diop, while making contact, had played the ball away from the goal. The final decision was to uphold the original yellow card and award a direct free-kick to Nottingham Forest.
The Premier League's Match Centre later provided the reasoning, stating the defender was judged to have been inside the area and to have knocked the ball away from the goal, thus not meeting the threshold for DOGSO. This clarification is part of the league's ongoing effort to explain key match incidents to supporters. The decision left Ipswich to see out the match with eleven men, though they conceded later in the half. Forest went on to secure a 2-1 victory, a result that moves them up to seventh in the table. The clarified ruling shows the specific criteria officials use to distinguish between stopping a promising attack and denying a clear goal chance.
Read the full report at Premier League
