VAR Penalty
In a dramatic encounter at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest faced a contentious decision as a goal was disallowed following a VAR review. The incident occurred when Ola Aina’s clearance struck Alexis Mac Allister and ricocheted into the net. Despite Forest’s dominance in the first half, the match ended in controversy with the disallowed goal. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher weighed in on the decision, supporting the application of the handball rule.
Dermot Gallagher said: “It [the law] was [correctly applied], and you feel for anybody in this situation because he’s just gone to block the ball, it strikes his elbow, but it went in. I saw one replay I went, ‘Oh this is going be disallowed on the replay’. I saw immediately it struck his elbow and said ‘There’s no doubt it’s going to be disallowed’ because the minute the VAR sees that it’s going to be handball. He is so, so unlucky, but it would be the same with any player, it’s not just Mac Allister, any player that does that, it’s always going to be disallowed.”
Gallagher continued: “I think it was brought in because, a goal was scored at Burnley by the Arsenal centre half, wasn’t it? It went in off his arm and everybody said ‘This isn’t right, it can’t happen’. So I think people accept that if it hits your arm or your hand and it goes in the net it’ll be disallowed. It’s also acceptable, isn’t it? We don’t want to see goals scored with a hand.”
The match saw further controversy when Virgil van Dijk’s header was saved by Stefan Ortega, only for Mac Allister to score what became the winning goal. Gallagher explained the reasoning behind the extended added time that allowed for the late winner.
Gallagher explained: “I was at pains to explain this to somebody last night who was raging about when it happened, and I said, ‘But Mac Allister’s first goal that was disallowed, that’s where the time came from, it was a justifiable extension to the added time.”
Gallagher’s defense of the VAR decision highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the application of handball rules in football. While some, like former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, criticized the decision as ‘corrupt’, Gallagher maintained that the rules were applied correctly. The incident underscores the challenges referees face in making split-second decisions and the role of technology in modern football.
The match left Nottingham Forest’s manager visibly frustrated as the team conceded a late goal, impacting their performance. Despite the controversy, Gallagher believes that the current system allows for more goals and excitement, suggesting that defenders are not significantly impacted by such decisions. The debate over VAR and handball rules continues to be a hot topic among fans and pundits alike.
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