Was the Ramires Penalty in the Chelsea-West Brom Match the Right Decision?

“It was a penalty.”

“It was no penalty.”

“Little old West Brom.”

The first interpretation—that of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, and hardly a surprise.

The second—held by West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Clarke, still fuming after referee Andre Mariner’s decision to award the Blues a late spot-kick following a controversial collision between Ramires and Steven Reid in front of the Baggies’ goal.

Both men spoke to the BBC shortly after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge. 

The third comment—offered to his Twitter followers by Reid, who clearly felt he had not bowled over the Chelsea midfielder in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Here’s what happened.

Having scored twice in eight minutes midway through the second period West Bromwich Albion took a 2-1 lead—a hardly undeserved advantage—and carried it into the dying seconds of the match, by which time Chelsea were pouring on the pressure in search of an equalizer.

Then, three minutes and 45 seconds into the four minutes of added time signalled by the fourth official, Ramires burst into the box, collided with Reid and collapsed to the floor. Mariner pointed to the spot and Eden Hazard successfully converted to pull the hosts back level.

Liam Ridgewell was booked for his protests, and Branislav Ivanovic, Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson were each presented the yellow card in the melee that ensued.

Continued Mourinho: “I have watched it two or three times and it was a clear penalty the same way it should have been a clear free-kick against West Brom when they scored the second goal.”

The Portuguese was referring to what he thought was a foul on Ivanovic in the buildup to Youssouf Mulumbu’s strike, which might have been prevented by a slow-footed John Terry and stopped by an unusually sloppy Petr Cech.

Nevertheless, trust Mourinho to turn the argument upside-down in order to deflect attention away from a talking-point that could prove harmful to his side.

Clarke was rather more emotional in his reaction.

“That’s five points my team have lost because of a late decision on penalties,” he remarked. “It is ridiculous to have to take it because it wasn’t a penalty. Instead of being up close to the top six we are in mid-table.”

The incident as it happened in real time did look more a dive from Ramires than a foul by Reid, and video evidence makes the Mariner call seem all the more dubious.

At first glance it almost looks as though Ramires is throwing his body into the Baggies’ right-back, and if watched again—now concentrating on the Brazilian’s right leg—you can see he drags his foot in the run-up to the collision—an indication that he has already made his decision to take the fall.

As far as Mariner is concerned, he could have thought only that Reid charged Ramires or pushed him in a careless, reckless manner. Those are the only reasons for a penalty FIFA would have allowed in the situation under the Laws of the Game.

Law 12 (on page 36 of the current rules package) states that a penalty will be awarded if a player commits one of the following offences “in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force: kicks or attempts to kick an opponent, trips an opponent, jumps at an opponent, charges an opponent, strikes or attempts to strike an opponent, pushes an opponent, tackles an opponent, holds an opponent, spits at an opponent or handles the ball deliberately.”

Reid’s actions on the play were hardly excessive in any way, and in this instance it’s safe to say Mariner made the wrong decision.

Mourinho is wrong. Clarke is right. And yes, Steven Reid, “Little old West Brom” were robbed at Stamford Bridge.