Handballs, offsides and the impact of video assistant referees (VAR) have been huge points of contention in recent years, but is it now time to add hair pulling to the list? Sunderland defender Dan Ballard became the third player this season to be sent off for pulling an opponent's hair in Saturday's 1-1 draw at relegated Wolves. Referee Paul Tierney initially took no action, but showed a red card to the centre-back after VAR advised him to check the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Wolves boss Rob Edwards has defended his decision to not acknowledge the home fans after their draw with Sunderland. The team were booed off after their 1-1 draw against the Black Cats, who played with 10 men for over an hour following Dan Ballard's red card. Santi Bueno cancelled out Noni Mukiele's opener, scoring Wolves' first goal in 47 days, but it did not spare the head coach from fan frustration after the final whistle.
It was not immediately clear what the first-half video assistant referee (VAR) check for violent conduct was for. Once it was established the officials were looking at a hair pull by Dan Ballard then a red card was the only outcome if he was guilty. Whether Ballard's actions could be called violent conduct may still be up for debate, but referee Paul Tierney followed the letter of the law.
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