Howard Webb urged to suspend Premier League operation after Leeds United vs West Ham controversy
West Ham fell to a frustrating defeat against Leeds United on Friday.
Nuno Espirito Santo travelled to Elland Road in the hope of securing a first Hammers win, but West Ham lost 2-1 to Leeds.
Besides an acrobatic Jarrod Bowen strike for West Ham, there was a general lack of quality on show from the away side in LS11.
Nuno has been slammed by Clinton Morrison after what was a bizarre setup, just as he did against Brentford at the London Stadium.
The main controversy came in the first half as Lucas Paqueta saw his strike ruled out for offside in controversial fashion.
Semi-Automated Offside System failed in Leeds United vs West Ham
The Brazil international was arguably the Hammers’ best player on the night as he looked to make things happen.
He did have the ball in the net after the ball cannoned off Callum Wilson in his direction before he turned and finished with aplomb.
The Premier League released a statement after Paqueta’s goal, which was eventually ruled out despite VAR not having access to the Semi-Automated Offside System.
The officials at Stockley Park instead drew lines, and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believes this should be enough for Howard Webb to scrap the whole system until it is 100 per cent effective.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Hackett said: “Once again, we learn that the Semi-Automated Offside System is not in operation at this game.
“If I were in Howard Webb’s shoes, I would suspend its operation immediately until the technology is capable of meeting the level of expectation.
“I would be looking in the direction of Hawkeye, the system used by UEFA.
“The hit-and-miss use of the technology is putting at risk the integrity of the Premier League Competition.
“Richard Masters, CEO of the Premier League, needs to consult with the Board of the PGMOL and sort this mess out.“
West Ham let down by Premier League vs Leeds
It does look as if VAR got the decision right to rule out Paqueta’s strike.
From the one angle available to the match officials, it does look as if the attacking midfielder’s left foot is beyond the last Leeds defender.
The issue lies in how close the call is and the fact that it could have been different if the semi-automated offside rule had been in operation.
Almost every other game this campaign has had this technology available, so it isn’t fair that West Ham haven’t been afforded the same courtesy due to a “technical problem”.
Nuno can rightly be annoyed with this decision, but ultimately, you make your own luck, and his side didn’t really do that at Elland Road.
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