Alan Shearer has spoken out about the inconsistency in refereeing decisions following Arsenal’s controversial 1-0 victory over West Ham. The match saw a stoppage-time equaliser from Callum Wilson disallowed for a foul by Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
The VAR review, led by official Darren England who examined replays before instructing referee Chris Kavanagh to check the screen, lasted over four minutes. On the podcast “The Rest is Football,” Shearer agreed with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards that the officials ultimately made the correct call. However, he expressed concerns that VAR has not successfully eliminated inconsistencies in officiating.
“I guess some people will think it was a foul, some won’t, some will think, ‘Where on earth is the consistency?’ because we’re seeing something like that every single week,” Shearer said. “I do think it was a foul but I also think the one at Everton last week with Bernardo Silva, when that was given as holding, clearly, the defender (Merlin Rohl) – where was VAR for that one?”
The former England captain added: “We’re having this discussion all the time, they’re taking far too long. I know it’s a hugely important decision, but so is every decision. Every fan will give you a screenshot of a similar incident that’s happened this season and they probably didn’t get the foul. So that’s where the anger comes from.”
The decision cost West Ham a goal which could have earned them a crucial point in their battle against relegation, while Arsenal managed to stay five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Lineker added: “(It was) probably a foul, but that’s not quite what they are supposed to be, is it? If I were a West Ham fan, or indeed a Manchester City fan, I think I’d be a little bit angry, because there was a lot of fouling going on at that corner. There was a lot of grappling by Arsenal players on the West Ham attacks. I know goalkeepers are protected more than anyone else, and it was probably a foul on him, but do you look at what happened before when people are being held which is probably a more obvious foul?”
Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney praised the officials for getting the decision right. Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “It’s a clear foul. I think you can clearly see the arm crosses (Raya’s) face and it impacts him getting to the ball. So I think it’s the right decision. It’s the one time I actually think VAR has done a really good job in such an important game.”
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