Glasner and Williams dispute VAR call over Forest handball

What the report says

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner and defender Neco Williams disputed a VAR decision that ruled out Williams’ second-half goal in Forest’s 0-0 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground. Referee Craig Pawson initially awarded the goal, but video assistant referee Peter Bankes recommended it be disallowed after ruling that Williams had handled the ball immediately before scoring.

Glasner said the replay evidence was not conclusive and argued that the VAR should not have overturned the on-field call without clear proof. He said the intervention did not meet the high threshold officials had discussed before the season. Williams also rejected the handball decision, saying he believed he had headed the ball in and had not touched it with his arm.

The Premier League match centre later said the decision was based on a check that concluded Williams handled the ball before scoring. Under the laws of the game, a goal is disallowed if the scorer has touched the ball with an arm immediately before the finish, even if the contact is accidental. The BBC’s analysis in the article noted that the dispute centred on whether there was definitive evidence of handball, rather than a subjective judgment, which is one reason such calls can produce disagreement even with VAR.