Keith Hackett blasts ‘poor officiating’ after double penalty controversy in Tottenham vs West Ham
Tottenham and Thomas Frank can feel aggrieved after not being awarded either of their two penalty shouts against West Ham on Saturday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Jarred Gillett was in the wrong as Spurs were denied two penalties in one sequence of play.
The majority of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were up in arms after Callum Wilson’s winner was allowed to stand despite calls of a foul on goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario on 17 January.
Emotions were already bubbling over after Ollie Scarles went unpunished for handball in the penalty area, with a VAR review confirming that it was natural movement from the young full-back.
That was not the only contentious decision, though.
Thomas Frank left frustrated after West Ham drama
In the 85th minute, after Conor Gallagher finally crossed the ball amid a tangle with Scarles, Xavi Simons attempted to bring the ball down in the penalty area before being bundled over.
After a very brief VAR review, both calls for a penalty were waved away, leaving the score at 1-1, thanks to goals from Crysencio Summerville and Cristian Romero.
Of course, Nuno Espirito Santo would relieve some sack pressure, throwing Wilson on for the final few minutes, who used his experience to net a dramatic winner in the third minute of added time.
Spurs supporters were adamant that at least one of the incidents, in quick succession, should have resulted in a spot-kick, but calls fell on deaf ears in North London.
Keith Hackett believes Ollie Scarles and Xavi Simons incidents deserved penalties
Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said: “The push was just poor officiating, and for me, it was handball. It should have been given. It’s another aspect of officiating that’s not giving us the quality that we’d expect from match officials.
“If the referee isn’t going to give it, they should explain why it’s not a penalty. There is subjectivity here, more so in handball, because you’ve got to judge the movement of the player.
“Often, the referee doesn’t have the best view. This is where you need to get all referees into one room, show them video clips and video clips, and get an agreement for consistency across the game.”