adminGet ready to be frustrated. After nine months away, James Maddison finally made his comeback for Tottenham as a late substitute in their 1-1 draw with Leeds United. But the real talking point came at the end of the match, when Maddison was involved in a highly controversial penalty incident.
Late in the game, Maddison was knocked over in the box by Leeds’ Felix Nmecha. Many thought it looked like a clear foul and a potential match-winning penalty for Spurs.
However, referee Jarred Gillett waved play on. VAR at Stockley Park spent roughly 20 seconds reviewing the play and decided Nmecha had made the slightest of touches on the ball—enough to justify not giving a penalty.
Maddison isn’t having it. He took to Instagram to argue that Nmecha never touched the ball, claiming the slight deflection seen on replay came from his own foot, not the defender’s.
This backs up my initial reaction after the final whistle. At first, I thought TV replays suggested Nmecha did get a touch. But later angles posted on social media seemed to show he might not have touched the ball at all.
Either way, the contact was so minimal it barely qualifies as “winning the ball.” What’s even more infuriating is that VAR spent five to six minutes checking whether Mathys Tel made contact on an overhead kick (he did), yet gave only 20 seconds to a massive penalty call that could have been crucial in Spurs’ fight against relegation.
Gillett’s decision not to call the foul on the pitch was also, frankly, spineless. If he’d pointed to the spot, VAR would have had to take a serious look.
But by doing nothing, VAR had no real reason or pressure to intervene. It’s yet another case of VAR protecting the on-field official rather than getting the call right.
And here’s the thing: even if Nmecha did touch the ball, he still plowed through Maddison. That should have been a foul regardless. But finding out that the whole justification for no penalty might be based on a falsehood—one VAR could have cleared up with a proper review—just makes it worse.
Yes, I’m properly angry online. And I’ll be even angrier if this moment ends up sending Tottenham to the Championship next season. Bring on the inevitable PGMOL apology saying they got it wrong… again.
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