West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has spoken out against what he perceives as the inconsistent use of VAR, following a controversial decision that denied his team a late equaliser in their match against Arsenal. The Hammers, who are fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League, believed they had secured a crucial point when Callum Wilson scored from a corner, canceling out Leandro Trossard’s 82nd-minute opener.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed, with officials ruling that West Ham striker Pablo Felipe had fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya during the play. This decision sparked immediate controversy and led to strong reactions from Hermansen, who questioned the fairness of the call.
Hermansen expressed his confusion over the decision, stating that such contact is common in matches and often goes unpunished. He noted that many goalkeepers in the league have experienced similar situations this season.
“If you ask any goalkeeper in the league, if he’s been illegally blocked, pulled, pushed on corners this season I think you will not find anyone who has not experienced this. So to give this, I’m not sure I understand why,” he said.
He also pointed out other instances of similar infringements that went unpunished during the game. “Of course, we watched it afterwards and we can see there’s shirt pulls on Konstantinos Mavropanos, shirt pulls on Tomas Soucek, even shirt pulls on Pablo before the goal. So to pick this situation…”
Hermansen acknowledged that the foul itself was legitimate but questioned why it was enforced in this particular instance. “You know, I agree it’s a foul. You can give the foul on the goalkeeper, definitely. But (with) what has been given during this season of goals with illegal blocks and illegal pulls and pushing and stuff on goalkeepers, I don’t understand why that’s been given. That’s all.”
Hermansen revealed that he had discussed the issue with his Arsenal counterpart, David Raya. “I spoke with David after the game and I think we have the same experience on this matter during this season. Because, of course, he has every right to ask for a free-kick or a foul on him. But I think you can find a lot of situations during this season where it’s been different.”
The goalkeeper’s comments highlight a growing frustration among players regarding the application of VAR in critical moments of the game. Many believe that the technology should be used consistently to ensure fair outcomes, rather than being applied selectively based on subjective interpretations.
This incident has reignited the debate about the role of VAR in football and whether it is truly serving its purpose of ensuring fairness. While the system was introduced to eliminate clear and obvious errors, its implementation has often been criticized for being inconsistent and sometimes counterproductive.
As the Premier League season continues, the pressure on referees and VAR officials to make accurate and consistent decisions will only increase. For players like Hermansen, the challenge remains to navigate these complexities while striving to achieve positive results for their teams.
In the coming weeks, fans and pundits alike will be watching closely to see if improvements are made to the VAR system, or if such controversies continue to disrupt the flow and fairness of the game.
