Mike Dean Slams John Brooks and VAR Over Schar-Barry Penalty Call as Everton Edge Newcastle

Mike Dean Slams John Brooks and VAR Over Schar-Barry Penalty Call as Everton Edge Newcastle

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has hit out at referee John Brooks and the VAR team after a controversial non-penalty decision involving Fabian Schär and Thierno Barry during Everton’s 1-0 Premier League win at Newcastle United on Monday night.

The incident came in the second half at St James’ Park with Everton leading through Barry’s early second-half goal. On a swift counter-attack, the ball was played into the Newcastle box. Schär produced a last-ditch challenge that caught Barry, sending the Everton striker to the ground. Barry immediately appealed for a penalty, but Brooks waved play on. VAR, led by Paul Howard, reviewed the contact and confirmed no foul, allowing the game to continue without intervention.

Dean, analysing the incident in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, was critical of both the on-field decision and the failure of VAR to intervene. He argued that Schär’s challenge clipped Barry’s standing leg or made clear contact that warranted a spot-kick under Premier League thresholds. “That’s a foul in the box all day long,” Dean is understood to have said in his assessment of the replays. “Brooks is right there and misses it, and then VAR doesn’t even send him to the monitor. These are the decisions that change games. Contact is contact, and when a defender goes through a player like that inside the area, it’s a penalty.”

The call added to the tension in a match already marked by controversy. Barry’s 49th-minute winner itself underwent lengthy VAR checks after the striker appeared to catch Schär with a flailing arm while moving into position. Schär required treatment and left the pitch temporarily. Officials deemed the contact insufficient to disallow the goal under the high threshold for fouls in the Premier League, and any offside concerns were cleared.

Everton held on for a valuable three points that lifted them above Newcastle in the table. Newcastle were reduced to 10 men late on when substitute Jacob Ramsey received a second yellow card. Home fans booed their side off at full time after a second defeat to the Toffees in the space of a few days.

Dean’s intervention will fuel further debate about consistency in refereeing and VAR application. Brooks had been appointed for the fixture and oversaw a game that featured several penalty appeals from both sides that were dismissed. Critics on social media and in post-match discussion described the Schär-Barry challenge as a “stonewall” penalty that was bafflingly ignored.

For Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle, the result compounds a difficult period. For David Moyes’ Everton, the hard-fought away win and clean sheet offer a significant boost. Yet the spotlight remains on the officials. As Dean made clear, when clear contact inside the box is overlooked by both the referee and VAR, questions about standards are inevitable. Premier League fans on both sides will be watching closely to see if similar incidents receive consistent treatment in the weeks ahead.