Referees’ Chief Howard Webb Confirms West Ham Penalty Against Manchester United Was a VAR Error

Referees’ chief Howard Webb has stated that West Ham should not have been awarded a penalty during Erik ten Hag’s final match as Manchester United manager on October 27. The on-field referee, David Coote, had awarded the penalty to West Ham following a VAR review, which was based on a recommendation from video assistant referee Michael Oliver concerning Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings. Coote had initially waved play on after the incident but subsequently awarded the penalty after reviewing the situation on the pitchside monitor. Jarrod Bowen then scored the penalty, securing a 2-1 victory for West Ham. Ten Hag was dismissed from his position less than 24 hours later. Webb shared his assessment with Sky Sports’ Mic’d Up programme, saying, “I thought it was a misread by the VAR.” He further explained the VAR’s error: “A VAR that’s normally really talented and reliable, but gets uber-focused in this situation on De Ligt’s leg. His leg coming through on to Danny Ings, not making any contact with the ball. The ball’s already past De Ligt as he makes contact with Danny Ings.” Webb added, “And the VAR sees that as a clear foul. I think he was too focused on that aspect. I don’t think he should have got involved. I think this is a situation where we’d leave the on-field decision as it is, probably whichever way it’s called. On balance, I don’t think it’s a penalty kick.” On-field referees are not mandated to follow the recommendations provided by the VAR official. Webb confirmed this, stating, “They are told that they are absolutely within their rights to keep their decision when they go to the screen.” Manchester United defender De Ligt, speaking at a news conference while on international duty with the Netherlands, disclosed that “the referees’ committee” had “called us to say that it was not a penalty.” De Ligt further commented, “Normally, I am always self-critical and can get annoyed about things I don’t do well. But this was not my fault, I couldn’t blame myself for it.” Webb, who is the chief of the refereeing body PGMOL, made these remarks in his first public appearance since Coote’s immediate suspension. Coote’s suspension followed the circulation of an online video in which he reportedly made derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp. Regarding Coote’s suspension, Webb stated, “We became aware of a video that was being circulated on social media that we are taking very seriously.” He concluded by saying, “We’ve instigated a full investigation. One of our referees, David Coote, has been suspended with immediate effect pending the outcome of that investigation. There’s not much more I can say at this stage until we’ve worked through that investigation.”