The PGMO has admitted that Manchester United’s second goal against Nottingham Forest should not have stood.
Referee Michael Salisbury initially decided to overrule VAR, even after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor. The review focused on a potential handball by Bryan Mbeumo in the lead-up to Matheus Cunha’s goal, which put United ahead in their 3-2 victory on Sunday.
PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb contacted both Forest and Man Utd on Monday to acknowledge the error.
The Controversial Handball Decision
The handball rule states it is an offence if a player scores in the opponent’s goal directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper or immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental.
The VAR officials believed Mbeumo controlled the ball with his arm and body before his shot was blocked, leading to Cunha’s goal. This, in their view, warranted disallowing the goal for handball.
However, referee Salisbury deemed the handball accidental, disagreeing with the VAR officials.
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville expressed his disbelief at the decision. He said, “That is a shocker in every way. Honestly, that is ridiculous. The VAR has been clear: the player has handballed it. He looked at it for three minutes and the referee has looked at it for another minute. I can’t believe what I have just seen.”
Neville added, “There will be nobody watching that game who plays football or who watches football who will think that goal should have been awarded. It feels obvious to disallow. He (Mbeumo) almost wedged the ball under his arm.”
Ref Watch Analysis
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch, stated that Mbeumo cushioned the ball with his arm and gained an advantage.
“It should be disallowed,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher added, “It’s handball. I think Michael [Salisbury] gets seduced by this directive that if it comes off your body and strikes your arm, it’s accidental – play on.”
PGMO’s Engagement with Clubs
The PGMO routinely engages with clubs to maintain open communication regarding refereeing matters.
English football typically adopts a more lenient approach to the handball rule, based on feedback from clubs, players, managers, and fans.
Despite this, the expected decision was to rule Mbeumo’s contact as handball, leading to the PGMO’s acknowledgement of the error.
The decision expected was to deem Mbeumo’s contact as handball, hence the acknowledgement by the PGMO.