PGMOL has published the full audio and transcript of the dramatic final moments of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham, sparking a new wave of debate over VAR consistency.
The footage shows a tense exchange between referee Chris Kavanagh, VAR boss Darren England and VAR assistant Akil Howson over Callum Wilson’s 95th-minute equalizer being disallowed.
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VAR audio reveals disagreement over canceled Arsenal vs. West Ham goal
As officials scrutinized the goal on a monitor, AVAR’s Akil Howson was captured on audio repeatedly raising concerns about Leandro Trossard’s behavior towards West Ham’s Pablo Fornals.
The VAR team initially focused on Pablo Fornals, who is said to have grabbed Raya’s arm, but Howson pointed to the possibility of an early or simultaneous foul by Trossard.
“You’ve got Declan Rice, you’ve got (Leandro) Trossard,” Howson said during the review (transcribed by Daily Mail).
Referee Chris Kavanagh responded: “I don’t know what you’re trying to show me. Give me a hint.”
After being asked to assess the possibility of Trossard pushing against Fornals, Kavanagh dismissed the case saying, “I don’t think it makes any sense at all. I’m happy with it.”
Officials also considered the possibility that Declan Rice had committed a foul on Konstantinos Mavropanos, but the focus remained on the challenge on the goalkeeper. Kavanagh ultimately concluded, “But the foul happened to the goalie before that.”
Howard Webb defends referee’s decision in Arsenal vs. West Ham incident
After the match, officials were criticized, with the West Ham manager claiming that even the referee could not tell what was a foul.
However, PGMOL boss Howard Webb defended the process to match official Mic’d Up, claiming the obvious mistake was grabbing Raya’s arm.
He said: “Was that a foul against the goalie? Honestly, yes.”
“We have said all season, including in pre-season briefings with the players, that if a goalkeeper is interfered with by an opponent by the arm or grabbed by an opponent and is unable to do his job, he will be penalized.
“We’re not just talking about contact with the goalie, we’re talking about a specific type of contact when the goalie’s arms or hands get in the way and stop doing their job.”
“The key player in this moment is, of course, the goalkeeper. He has a unique ability to use his hands. And what we see in this situation, unlike other situations around the penalty area, is that the goalkeeper is unable to do his job and is unable to raise his arms due to the attacker’s very clear actions.”
“He was held down from behind by[Jean-Clair]Todibo. There was also contact from other players and Arsenal players, but the most important contact was definitely with the goalkeeper.”
It stops him from doing something fairly mundane, like catching a ball. The arm rests on the arm across the neck. He can’t lift his arms so we said we’re going to punish him for that. And we’ve been consistent in that particular aspect. ”
Webb praised the process by those involved, but leaked audio suggested a split within the VAR room, with Howson’s warning about Trossard’s push ultimately being dismissed by the man in the middle.
