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VAR handball call stands as Williams goal ruled out

9/8/2026

19 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams had his goal ruled out for handball in a 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
New video shows the ball striking Williams’ left arm before the shot.
Former referee Dermot Gallagher said the footage confirms the VAR handball decision was correct.
Forest manager Oliver Glasner called the VAR ruling guesswork and a breach of the season’s high-threshold policy.

History

Historical Context

FIFA approved VAR on 16 March 2018 and deployed it across all matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where 335 incidents were reviewed – about seven per game – and 14 referee calls were overturned. The system’s debut sparked controversy, from France’s handball-checked goal against Argentina to Nottingham Forest’s VAR-ruled loss to Tottenham, fueling calls for clearer protocols.

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Story summary

Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams had his goal ruled out for handball in a 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
New video shows the ball striking Williams’ left arm before the shot.
Former referee Dermot Gallagher said the footage confirms the VAR handball decision was correct.
Forest manager Oliver Glasner called the VAR ruling guesswork and a breach of the season’s high-threshold policy.

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