Andoni Iraola
The AFC Bournemouth boss said it was the most frustrated he has been on the touchline and saw him booked by the referee, which he said he deserved for complaining. Cherries looked like they had taken all three points at the death vs Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, with the sides drawing 1-1 going into stoppage time. But when Dango Ouattara thought he had scored, the VAR intervened to rule the goal out for handball, prompting anger from the Bournemouth fans and staff.
Iraola said “I went to talk to the referee, but I think the referee today, he cannot do much more, He gave the goal, they didn’t give him the chance to see it again in the match. What is he going to do? He took the right decision. He dealt, I think, quite well with the game and I have been talking to him, but, you know, it’s just because he heard me complain, but it’s not against him. He cannot do much more. I think it’s obvious that he’s not the one that has made a mistake today.”
On the reasoning being the disallowed goal,
The Cherries boss Iraola said “I understand the route they will try to follow to make me think that there is a part of reason in there. But I completely don’t agree. It’s just common sense and whoever has played football, only looking at the strength that the ball goes in to and touches the back of the net knows that that’s not a handball, you know, it’s a shoulder. That’s why it goes very strong, the ball to inside of the net. They disallowed us one goal the other day against Forest because they took the last part of the shoulder of Lewis Cook and then they put the lines, and we didn’t complain. We didn’t say anything. You have to believe the lines. Is something factual this time? Factual is because it’s true that you can score with the shoulder. So you have to accept it is a lot of the ball against Forest, unlucky. “But now I don’t understand this one because if you see the video, we have very short sleeves. Very, very short sleeves. He has caused [the goal] clearly with the badge.”
Iraola said he felt his players did not deserve what happened at the end of the game, and that his side had lost two points, through no fault of their own. He added it was important for the team to park their frustrations, as they head into a busy week with away games against West Ham in the Carabao Cup and Everton in the league on Wednesday and Saturday.
