Tomas Soucek has slammed VAR controversy call in Nottingham Forest’s decisive penalty against West Ham United and compared the decision to basketball.
After a tense 2-1 showdown that swung late, the midfielder didn’t hold back when the whistle finally blew, firing straight at the decision that turned the match.
The pivotal moment arrived when Alphonse Areola collided with Morgan Gibbs-White while trying to punch clear from a free-kick.
After VAR intervention, a penalty was awarded and Gibbs-White stepped up to bury it, sealing a crucial victory that pushes Forest seven points clear and leaves West Ham stuck inside the relegation zone.
Soucek could barely hide his disbelief afterward.”It’s a joke,” Soucek told Sky Sports. “I just saw it and we would have 20 penalties a game if it’s like that.
“I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world. We are all fighters, warriors but this looks more like basketball, you can’t touch the player.”
As the debate rolled on, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo added his voice, echoing the frustration from the dugout. The decision, like so many VAR calls this season, felt unpredictable.
“It happens so many times during matches that I get confused about the rules,” Nuno Espirito Santo said. “Many times this has happened and not been given as a penalty. We cannot quite understand.
“Areola goes for the ball, Tomas Soucek takes it out, and he cannot stop his movement. Hard to explain.”
With the season entering the business end, pressure is stacking like a tight title race, only this one is at the wrong end of the table.
The Hammers now have to regroup quickly, while the debate over consistency and VAR continues to dominate the conversation.
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