PREMIER LEAGUE referee Farai Hallam made a brave decision as he chose to overrule the Video Assistant Referee in his first-ever Premier League game.
Hallam, 32, was selected to officiate the game between Manchester City and Wolves at The Etihad stadium.
It was a momentous occasion for the 32-year-old as he made his whistling debut in the top flight.
And he was thrown in the deep end on his Prem debut as went against the VAR to not award a penalty.
In the 35th minute of the clash, Omar Marmoush found himself running onto the ball into the penalty area under pressure from Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Fresh from scoring on his return to club football following Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt, the 26-year-old then attempted to flick the ball behind the tracking defender.
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The left foot flick up of the ball then saw it hit the arm of Mosquera.
Hallam opted against giving a penalty on the field, but was sent to the monitor by VAR to review it.
However, Hallam controversially stuck to his on-field decision following a four-minute stoppage.
Announcing the decision in the stadium, Hallam said: “After review, the ball hits the arm of the Wolves player, which is in a natural position, so the on-field decision will remain.”
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It meant the score remained 1-0 thanks to the Marmoush opener after eight minutes.
But City soon found their second of the afternoon as Antoine Semenyo got himself back on the scoresheet after blanking for the first time for his new club in last week’s Manchester derby.
Hallam had officiated 16 games in all competitions this season prior to the City v Wolves clash.
These included matches in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
He had issued 56 yellow cards and was yet to issue a red card or award a penalty this season in those games.
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