Neco Williams had a goal controversially disallowed in the Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.
Forest thought they had taken the lead in the second half when Williams bundled the ball over the line under pressure from Sandro Tonali.
VAR checked the goal and, after reviewing multiple angles, decided to rule it out due to a handball by the Welsh defender. The Premier League released a statement explaining the decision.
Forest's players and staff were incensed, but there were protests were to no avail. Neither side could find a winner as the match ended in a goalless draw.
Neco Williams Fumes After Disallowed Goal
Williams was furious at the decision. Williams said on Sky Sports, per the BBC: “It’s a goal. VAR is there when there is a clear and obvious error and for me that is not clear and obvious.
“I’ve seen the images and the replays and at not one moment did I think I handballed it. I headed it in between my arms. If you’re going to pause it, it’s going to look like it hit my arm but it didn’t hit my arm.
“VAR is there to intervene with clear and obvious errors and that wasn’t clear and obvious. have seen all the images and at not one moment can you tell that has clearly hit my arms because it never.
“I knew straight away I’ve headed it down in between my arms. At a loss at that one. Disappointing. It’s a goal for me, it didn’t hit my arm so that’s all I can say on that.”
While Oliver Glasner said on the BBC: "It feels we lost two points today because I watched a few situations back and I think the goal must stand. It’s not clear and obvious.
“We have a briefing before the season that the VAR threshold should be high again when VAR intervenes and I think it was not clear and obvious.
“For me it is a clear penalty when Neco Williams gets fouled because [Mohammed] Kudus doesn’t even jump into the ball and when this situation happens anywhere on the pitch it is always a foul."
Ex-PGMOL chief and former FIFA referee Keith Hackett does not think VAR should have intervened and that the goal should have stood.
He said: "When you look closely on the big screen at that disallowed Nottingham Forest, having played it on several occasions, it is actually inconclusive that the ball struck the hand or arm, either accidentally or deliberately. Therefore, VAR should not have intervened.
"And certainly, on the evidence I have witnessed, the goal should not have been ruled out. The law is specific, and I want to clarify that
if the ball does strike the hand and arm, and it goes directly into the goal, then the goal would be ruled out. On this occasion, it is inconclusive that the ball actually made contact with the scorer's hand or arm."
Forest are, at the time of writing, in 16th in the Premier League having not won any of their opening three matches. They return to action on Saturday, April 12, when they travel to the Midlands to face Aston Villa, who are also winless.