Liverpool and Arsenal drew at Anfield with one goal each.
Arsenal captain Odegaard committed a deliberate handball in the penalty area. However, the VAR referees who handled the match could not prove that this incident was a penalty. Howard, a retired referee and current head of the PGMOL, said it should have been a penalty.
With referee Chris Kavanagh, who handled that game, VAR referee David Kut
The head of the referees’ association himself publicly admitted that this incident could not be considered a penalty. Immediately after the match, the Referees Association (PGMOL) announced that “Odygat’s arm was moving with his body and was not aimed directly at the ball.” But last Tuesday, during the referees’ monthly Mic’d Up program, “”the referee saw Odegaard slip. His arm was headed for the grass. Earlier, we discussed the arm positions of a player when he loses momentum and slips. It’s a pretty strong concept.
A player’s normal fall pattern in such situations
There is an important difference. Odegaard didn’t fall onto the ball by accident. His arm was free, but when the ball made contact with his arm, he brought his arm back to his body. The feedback I got back was very simple.
In such a situation, they would expect a penalty.
I agree with that. Therefore, this decision was not based on the correct result,” he said. Although Howard testified, the Liverpool team suffered. The referees’ association has no responsibility except for an apology. Liverpool suffered due to the controversial decision of the VAR for the second time. If Odegaard’s handball had been considered a penalty, Liverpool would have taken a four-point lead at the top of the table.
