New image confirms ball struck Williams' arm but fails to end Forest VAR furore

A new photograph has confirmed the ball struck Neco Williams’ arm before he bundled it over the line in Nottingham Forest’s goalless draw with Tottenham at the City Ground on Saturday — but the image is unlikely to silence the debate over whether VAR was right to intervene.

Video assistant referee Peter Bankes disallowed the goal, denying Forest what would have been a precious three points. The still picture, which was not available to Bankes at the time of his decision, does show the ball making contact with Williams’ arm. Referees’ body Pro Ref have backed the call, stating that Bankes is an experienced VAR operator who also reads tell-tale signs such as a ripple in a player’s shirt.

Forest manager Oliver Glasner was unimpressed, arguing the threshold for intervention had not been met. “I think the VAR can’t intervene when he is guessing,” Glasner said. “It was not clear and obvious. We had a briefing before the season that the threshold for VAR intervention this year should be very high, which is why this is a wrong intervention.”

Glasner also contended that Forest should have been awarded a penalty earlier in the match. “I think it was a clear penalty when Neco Williams was fouled by Mo Kudus,” he said. “If it’s not 100% clear, stick to the on-field decisions. This is the inconsistency today. I told the referee after the game that I felt the goal should have stood.”

Referees’ chief Howard Webb has overseen a notably lighter-touch approach from VAR this season, with officials instructed not to intervene unless they are certain. The numbers back that up: there have been just two subjective VAR interventions across 30 Premier League games this season, a rate of 0.06 per match compared with 0.15 per match last season.

The row adds to a broader conversation about VAR consistency. Arsenal also had a goal ruled out by VAR during their win over Chelsea on Sunday, though replays indicated that decision was correct. For Forest, the frustration centres not just on the outcome but on the principle — that an official stepped in without the very image that now appears to justify the call.