Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb explained that strong challenges are a feature of English football, although referees remain responsible for protecting the players.
Webb said the on-field official viewed the incident as a reckless tackle, and a particularly serious one, because Botman made contact with the ball while coming into the challenge.
He added that Botman entered the tackle at considerable speed, leaving the video official to determine whether the original decision was clearly incorrect.
Webb stressed that video officials should not reassess every judgment made by the referee. The on-field official should retain control, with intervention reserved for an unmistakable error.
He suggested the result might have changed if the review had shown Botman’s outstretched leg making forceful studs-first contact with Jackson’s ankle or shin, or if the tackle had developed into a scissoring motion.
However, the footage did not provide that evidence. As the incident remained open to interpretation, the video official allowed the referee’s original decision to stand.
Webb also noted that if the referee had initially shown a red card, the video review would likewise have confirmed that decision.
He described the incident as a useful illustration of how the referee’s call principle is being applied in the Premier League this season.
The policy follows a less intrusive approach, allowing referees to make judgments on the pitch while limiting video intervention to decisions that are clearly and significantly wrong.
Across the opening seven rounds of Premier League fixtures, video officials intervened 21 times, including nine cases involving subjective judgments. After the same number of rounds last season, there had been only three interventions and none were subjective.
Despite the increase in interventions, the proportion of errors has fallen significantly.
This season, the Premier League Key Match Incidents Panel has identified one incorrect video intervention involving Manchester City’s offside winning goal against Manchester United. It also found one missed intervention when Arsenal should have received a penalty at Aston Villa.
By comparison, four errors caused by missed interventions had already been recorded after seven rounds last season.
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