New Video Confirms Williams Handball – but the VAR Argument Goes On

New video shows the ball coming off Neco Williams’ limb before his goal was ruled out in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The video backs up the call made by VAR Peter Bankes. It probably will not end the argument.

Williams pushed the ball home in the 67th minute. Bankes stepped in and ruled the goal out for accidental handball. Both Williams and Forest manager Oliver Glasner said afterward there was no proof the ball had touched a limb. The new video tells a different story: Williams touches the ball with his left limb, then his right limb, before it crosses the line.

What Bankes Could and Could Not See

The camera view that settles the matter was not available to Bankes during the game. The VAR team can only work from what the broadcast shows, and this particular view was never part of that broadcast. Bankes made his call based on the way Williams’ jersey moved when the ball hit his right limb. BBC Sport understands that Pro Ref is fully satisfied with the decision. Pro Ref is the new name for the body once called Professional Game Match Officials.

There is also plain concern inside Pro Ref about how the story played out. Williams was so certain the ball never touched him at all.

That certainty is now hard to square with the video.

Williams told Sky Sports that he had seen the images and the replays and at not one moment did he think he had handballed it. He said the images did not clearly show the ball hitting his limbs, because it never did. He said he knew straight away he had headed it down between his limbs, and that it did not touch his limb. The new video also shows the ball never touched his head, though in that instant he may not have known it at the time.

Former midfielder Danny Murphy was not fully convinced on Match of the Day. He said he understood the case for a handball but questioned whether it met the standard of a clear and obvious error, saying the answer to that question was no.

The Clear and Obvious Question

Much of the criticism has centered on the idea that VAR needs a “clear and obvious error” to step in. Glasner made that point, and Williams repeated it on social media. But that standard only applies to matters of opinion, the kind that send a referee to the screen at the side of the field. Handball before a goal works another way. It is treated as a matter of fact, judged on proof alone by the VAR. If the VAR believes the proof is there, the goal comes off.

That still leaves room for dispute, since even a matter of fact rests on one person’s judgment. Last season, a Manchester United goal against Liverpool raised a similar question when the ball seemed to touch the fingers of the Slovenia striker on the way in. VAR Stuart Attwell let the goal stand, saying he could not be certain. Howard Webb, who leads referee standards, later said the ball probably does hit the hand, but said the VARs need proof that leaves no doubt.

Two Calls, Two Results

Webb has said he would like to change the handball law so VARs are not forced to study every goal this closely. He said the law forces VARs on every goal to check what body part the ball came off. He would rather punish only deliberate handball or a player making himself larger than he should be, which he believes would let officials finish their checks faster. Pro Ref and the Premier League plan to push for that change.

For now, VAR steps in far less than it used to. There have been just two matters of opinion reviewed this season, at 0.06 per game, down from 0.15 last season. Nottingham Forest have been approached for comment. The numbers point to a lighter touch in the game as a whole, but this one call shows a lighter touch does not mean a quieter argument.

Source: bbc.co.uk

handball · Nottingham Forest · Premier League · Tottenham · VAR