FA to accept fault of VAR after West Ham United controversy v Chelsea
The FA are set to admit that VAR got things wrong when it disallowed a late West Ham United goal against Chelsea, according to Martyn Ziegler.
The Irons thought they had found a late equaliser away at Stamford Bridge when Maxwel Cornet turned the ball home but the goal was overturned following a VAR check which adjudged Jarrod Bowen to have fouled Edouard Mendy.
Media, fans and players have all been left bewildered by the decision and the feeling is similar at St James’ Park as Newcastle United were also robbed of a crucial goal against Crystal Palace.
The FA were ready to discuss the incidents and VAR as a whole next week but The Times’ reporter Ziegler believes that they are already prepared to admit that they were wrong.
“PGMOL is understood to have effectively accepted the VAR interventions to disallow West Ham + Newcastle goals were wrong,” he said via his personal Twitter account. “Will co-operate with PL request to review the 2 incidents, + will take lessons from the outcome.”
Hardly justice
Even if Ziegler’s report does come to fruition, it will do little to soften the blow for David Moyes and West Ham who fully deserved a point at Stamford Bridge only to be robbed by VAR and an incompetent refereeing team.
Nobody in the entire ground or watching at home had even considered that there might have been a foul and that includes every Chelsea player and staff member.
That one point could prove crucial come to the end of the season and all fingers will point back to this moment and decision if the Hammers miss out on their targets by just the one point.
The FA can apologise all they like but they have to do something about the incompetence of the people in control of the technology.
No professional referee who has access to replays should be making such dreadful decisions like they might when only seeing things from one angle at full speed in the middle.