West Ham United is set to lodge an official complaint with the Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) following a controversial VAR decision that saw a late equaliser disallowed against Arsenal on Sunday.
The incident, which occurred in injury time, saw Callum Wilson appear to score for West Ham, a goal that would have significantly impacted both Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations and West Ham’s own battle against relegation. However, the celebrations were cut short after a VAR review, leading to the goal being chalked off.
The decision centred on a crowded penalty area clash before the ball fell to Wilson. VAR official Darren England reviewed contact between West Ham’s Pablo and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. The Premier League Match Centre confirmed the reasoning behind the call, stating that Pablo had impeded Raya by holding his arm.
The official explanation, posted on X by the Premier League Match Centre, detailed the final ruling: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to West Ham United. Referee announcement: “After review, West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. Final decision is direct free kick.””
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While former Premier League referee Peter Walton, writing for The Times, supported the decision, praising England’s “courage and understanding to intervene” and Chris Kavanagh’s willingness to overturn his original call, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen expressed his team’s frustration, citing a lack of consistency in officiating. Bowen highlighted a similar incident the previous week against Brentford, where Tomas Soucek was dragged down in the box without a penalty being awarded.
“Goalkeepers are protected more than outfield players, there’s lots of holding and grappling that goes on in the box. Are you going to look at those every time and give a penalty? Because that’s the only way that is the right way to do it,” Bowen told Sky Sports, quoted by Metro. “I get that you can’t wipe a goalkeeper out and there’s arms there but the keeper’s come out to try and grab the ball so he’s got to be seen, not as an outfield player, but he’s got to expect some contact. It’s a corner kick, it’s physical, it’s the Premier League – there’s going to be contact and tussles.”
The decision has reignited debate over VAR’s application, particularly concerning contact on goalkeepers during set pieces. West Ham, according to The Times and BBC, plans to “raise concerns and request further explanation” from PGMOL regarding the consistency of such calls.
Sources: metro.co.uk
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