Peter Walton is being widely mocked on social media after quickly changing his mind about Chelsea’s second-half penalty decision against Borussia Dortmund. BT Sport’s referee expert was left red-faced before Kai Havertz fired the Blues 2-0 ahead at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea levelled the tie through Raheem Sterling in the 43rd minute, sending Graham Potter’s side into half-time with momentum.
And just three minutes after the restart, Marius Wolff blocked Ben Chilwell’s cross with his hand, which led to a VAR check.
While the check was ongoing, BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher asked Walton whether he thought it would be awarded.
But he suggested that it was the right decision not to initially award a spot-kick because Wolff was ‘pulling his arm away from the ball’.
He said: “I think it’s the right decision there. The player’s pulling his arm away from the ball – the ball has struck his arm for sure, and it will be checked.
“But for obvious reasons, I don’t think this will go to a penalty kick because I don’t think it’s an intentional handball.”
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However, after referee Danny Desmond Makkelie was sent to the VAR monitor, Walton made a rapid U-turn on his initial assessment.
“I think what the referee is seeing now is to see if the player can withdraw his arm,” Walton explained.
“His arm is away from the ball, that’s the angle we can see here, and I actually think the way the law is interpreted in Europe is this will be given as a penalty kick.”
And his U-turn led to mocking en masse on Twitter, whether many accusing Walton of changing his mind because he learned of the VAR check.
@TyMarshall_MEN wrote: “That might be a Peter Walton flip-flop record.”
Former Chelsea coach Jody Morris said: “Old Peter Walton has moonwalked quickly out of that decision. Defo pen.”
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