Remember that absolute head-scratcher of a VAR call that wiped out Neco Williams’ goal against Tottenham? Yeah, the one that left Nottingham Forest fans absolutely fuming after the 0-0 draw? Well, new video footage just dropped, and it shows the ball clearly coming off Williams’ arm in the 67th minute before he bundled it into the net. Talk about a plot twist!
The VAR Uproar and Williams’ Fierce Denial
That whole incident sparked a firestorm, right? VAR Peter Bankes stepped in to disallow the goal, claiming accidental handball. But Williams and Forest manager Oliver Glasner were having none of it. They were *adamant* after the match that there was zero proof it touched an arm. Williams himself was straight-up saying, “At not one moment did I think I handballed it.” He even posted on X, doubling down on his claim that he’d headed it down, not touched it with his arm. You could feel the outrage, the media scrutiny on Bankes was intense, and Pro Ref, the refereeing body, was definitely feeling the heat too.
The Truth Comes Out (But Not for Everyone)
Now, this new footage changes the game. It shows the ball clearly hitting Williams’ left arm, then his right forearm, before it found the net. And get this: it even proves it didn’t touch his head, despite what he thought in that split second. So, while VAR Bankes might be feeling *somewhat* vindicated now, here’s the kicker: this specific camera angle was NOT available to him during the game. The VAR hub only had access to broadcast cameras, and this one wasn’t part of the match coverage. Bankes initially went off the ripple in Williams’ shirt as proof. So while the decision was ultimately correct, Forest fans’ anger over the *validity* of the intervention, given what VAR had at the time, probably won’t disappear. Former midfielder Danny Murphy even weighed in on Match of the Day, saying he understood the handball argument but questioned if it was “clear and obvious” enough to rule out.
Factual vs. Subjective: The VAR Debate Rages On
The refereeing body, Pro Ref, is apparently “completely happy” with the call, but they’re also pretty irritated by how the story blew up, especially because Williams was so “unequivocal” in his denials when there’s now clear evidence against him. This whole thing highlights a key distinction in VAR interventions. This wasn’t about a subjective “clear and obvious error” where the ref goes to a monitor. This was a “factual intervention” like a handball before a goal. If VAR feels they have the proof of an offense, they disallow it. And Bankes clearly felt he had that proof, even if the absolute smoking gun angle wasn’t available to him until now. It just shows you: even with all the tech, VAR still manages to keep us screaming at our screens.
So, the debate rages on, even with the new video. Williams might have been genuinely unaware in the moment, but the footage doesn’t lie. For Forest fans, the bitter taste of that disallowed goal is probably going to linger, and the arguments about VAR’s role and its access to evidence will definitely continue. What a mess, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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