PGMOL expert destroys ‘ridiculous’ law after Alexis Mac Allister incident vs Nottingham Forest
Alexis Mac Allister would not have seen his goal ruled out for handball had VAR not been in operation at the City Ground.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that handball law is “ridiculous” and needs to be changed after Nottingham Forest versus Liverpool.
Vitor Pereira and Arne Slot looked set to earn a point each on Sunday, only for the Argentine midfielder to score a dramatic winner in the seventh minute of added time.
This was five minutes after Mac Allister originally saw his goal chalked off, accidentally blocking Ola Aina’s clearance with his elbow, but he was overjoyed before the final whistle after bagging the winner.
Anthony Taylor not to blame as Alexis Mac Allister goal ruled out
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “In that situation, the law is clear that if the ball strikes the arm and goes into the net, accidentally or intentionally, that goal cannot stand. It’s the correct decision in law.
“It does say ‘accidental’, but that’s why I’m critical of the handball law. You get the deflection off the body onto the arm as not handball, but in this situation, coming off the elbow into the net, it’s ruled out.
“If VAR wasn’t there, that goal would have been allowed. VAR is forensically analysing these things, and the lawmakers are trying to give greater clarity without understanding the game. You don’t want a goal like this ruled out.
“The handball law is the problem, not the referee or VAR. This is the law, and it’s the ridiculous part of not being able to score a goal, even if it’s accidental handball.”
What did Vitor Pereira say after Nottingham Forest’s defeat?
Pereira was extremely disappointed by the manner of Forest’s defeat, especially after a record-breaking first half against the Reds, but failing to score at either end.
It was the most amount of shots that Liverpool have faced in a first half since 2015, but the Tricky Trees just couldn’t make their dominance count in front of the City Ground faithful.
Speaking after the game, Pereira said, “We are very frustrated. The way we played the first half was by creating chances and not conceding anything. It was a fantastic first half.
“We know the second half could be difficult because we played three days ago and travelled four hours. We didn’t press properly. They won the game. In my opinion, one point was the minimum. Zero points is not fair.”