Thierry Henry calls for major change to football as Arsenal hit by big VAR controversy in West Ham clash
THIERRY HENRY has called for more cameras to be introduced to football after West Ham scored a controversial goal against Arsenal.
Tomas Soucek smashed home from Jarrod Bowen’s pull back, who narrowly kept the ball in according to referee Michael Oliver.
Jarrod Bowen was judged to have kept the ball in by the slimmest of marginsAmazon Prime
GettyThierry Henry has called for more cameras to be introduced to help officials[/caption]
VAR reviewed the incident for three minutes and 22 seconds but could not determine for certain whether the ball had gone out of play.
Bowen’s body blocked the view from the main camera angle, with a camera on the opposite side of the pitch also unable to show a definitive perspective.
VAR had no option but to instruct Oliver to stick with his on-pitch decision, and Henry accepted the officials were helpless.
However he believes there is a solution to the issue – more cameras.
The Gunners legend claims another camera offering a bird’s eye view would have allowed the VAR to check whether the ball had left the pitch.
Henry, speaking on Amazon Prime at half-time of West Ham’s 2-0 win over Arsenal, said: “Well that is the second time for us, Newcastle away. But if you want to help the referees to have the right angle, if you want to know the ball is out you have to be above the ball.
“That is the only way you can know if the ball is out or not.
“We are in 2023 soon 2024 and we still don’t have a camera that is above, it’s too many times where you don’t know if the ball is out or not.
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“So can we have a camera that can be above that can see if the ball is out or not, if not it is just impossible to see it.”
Arsenal conceded a similar goal in their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle earlier this season after Joe Willock kept the ball in by the slimmest of margins.
To the naked eye the ball appeared to be out so plenty of Gooners were left fuming by the decision to allow the goal to stand.
Mikel Arteta also complained after the match and Arsenal even wrote an open letter calling on the PGMOL to “address the standard of officiating”.
