Jarrod Bowen passed Tomas Soucek for the goal
Tomas Soucek's goal put West Ham ahead of Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, but again There is debate about the effectiveness and accuracy of the Var system.
In an incident reminiscent of the furore surrounding Anthony Gordon's goal for Newcastle against Arsenal earlier this season, questions have been raised about whether the ball went out of play in the lead-up to the goal.
>What happened ?
The question is whether the ball left the field of play, close to the Arsenal goal, before Jarrod Bowen cut it for Tomas Soucek to score.
There was a long delay while the referees studied camera angles before they apparently decided there was not enough evidence that the ball had completely crossed the line. Bowen's body was, of course, out of play, but it is unclear whether the ball joined him.
Well, well, well!
Emirates stunned by West Ham breaking deadlock thanks to Tomas Soucek!#PLonPrime #ARSWHU pic.twitter.com /R2T3jkcB1j
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 28, 2023 Is it Newcastle again?
There are clear similarities between this goal and the one Arsenal conceded at Newcastle United earlier this season. In this case, the War referees again had to decide whether the ball was out of play before it was crossed into the penalty area.
It was later revealed that the goal, which was ultimately scored by Anthony Gordon, was upheld because there were not enough camera angles to prove the ball went out of play near the corner flag. The judges needed to find “compelling evidence,” but they couldn’t. An independent commission into incidents in key Premier League matches later ruled that the goal was allowed to be positioned correctly.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was furious after the defeat to Newcastle, calling it a “disgrace” and while the football team charged him. The association was later cleared.
Ware ruled that there was no convincing evidence that Joe Willock did not have the ball in play. What was the reaction to the West Ham goal?
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, former referee Mark Clattenburg said he believed the ball was still in play based on the angles shown to the crowd.
“The decision on the field is a goal, so they need to find conclusive evidence that the ball is out of play,” he said. “From the side I saw, the ball appears to be in play a little bit.”
'We can't be 100% sure the ball is out of play'
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg explains why VAR failed to overturn award of West Ham first man#PLonPrime #ARSWHU pic .twitter.com/TIp8gracAX
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@ primevideosport) December 28, 2023
There was no real outrage at the stadium over the decision as there were no replays for fans. It appears that the long delay before the match restarted caused further disappointment.
Amazon Prime co-commentator Ellie McCoist said: “You can't tell from the camera angles. There's nothing to say the referee's decision was wrong, that's why they supported it.”
Thierry Henry, Arsenal's top scorer, said on Amazon Prime: “The referee needs the right angle. It’s 2023, almost 2024, and there’s still no point of view.”
Clattenburg added: “The officials cannot make any other decision. The decision on the field is a goal, and despite all the evidence we have seen, we cannot be 100 percent sure that the ball is scored.
“The ball must be clearly over the line. There is no convincing evidence. What we need is a chip in the ball that can clearly determine whether it has crossed the line or not.”
Other precedents
The laws of football state: “The ball is out of play when: It has completely crossed the goal line or touchline, whether on the ground or in the air.”
At last year's World Cup, the law came into the spotlight following Japan's controversial victory over Spain. War decided that Karu Mitoma had kept the ball in play, despite video evidence which, on the face of it, showed that the ball was clearly out of play.
Japan's goal against Spain at last year's World Cup sparked a similar debate. Photo: Reuters/Jennifer Lorenzini
Japan's winner was awarded due to the “curvature of the ball.” It appears that not all of the ball was behind the line, although the part of the ball that was on the grass was clearly behind the line.
The entire ball must be behind the line. the ball is considered out. This is similar to the situation where players taking a corner kick play the ball slightly outside the quadrant, but this is considered legal.
After watching the first replay, commentators did not understand why Japan's goal remained valid. A reminder that camera angles can be deceiving.#WorldCup2022 #JPNESP #JPN pic.twitter.com/Ew12D8SzwT
— James Sharpe (@TheSharpeEnd) December 1, 2022
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