Football lawmakers to review grappling at corners after Arsenal VAR controversy

Football’s lawmakers are poised to address the contentious issue of grappling at corners and other set-pieces, with discussions expected to commence after this summer’s World Cup.

The move comes amid growing frustration and debate within the Premier League, sparked by a series of controversial decisions.

The spotlight fell on the issue following Sunday’s crucial match between West Ham and Arsenal, where a West Ham goal was disallowed by VAR for a foul on Gunners goalkeeper David Raya.

This decision had significant implications for both the title race and the battle to avoid relegation, intensifying calls for clarity on what constitutes a foul in such situations.

West Ham are understood to have lodged a complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and forward Jarrod Bowen publicly criticising what they perceive as a lack of consistency in penalising holding and foul challenges during set-pieces.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab), the body responsible for setting the game’s laws, is expected to take up the matter during its next round of discussions, scheduled to begin in the autumn.

Ifab director Ian Maxwell, who also serves as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, acknowledged the ongoing debate when questioned at the IFAB annual general meeting in February.

"It wasn’t discussed specifically at today’s meeting. Anything we can do to try to eradicate that type of behaviour…," Maxwell stated. "We’re aware of it from a Scottish perspective, I’m not sure it’s necessarily getting worse.

“There will be geographical changes – football is played all over the world – different countries, different players will deal with things in slightly different ways. It’s within the protocol for match officials to take decisions on that (whether a foul has been committed) if they feel it is appropriate at the time, so they have got that opportunity."

In contrast to West Ham’s grievances, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta praised the officials, referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR Darren England, for their handling of the incident.

"It was a call from the ref that is very brave, but very consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season," Arteta said.

"When I have to be critical, I have been. And today I have to praise them, at least for giving the option to a referee to decide, away from the lights and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call. And when you look at the action in that way, it is an obvious error."

However, Nuno and Bowen strongly disagreed with this assessment.

The Portuguese coach expressed his frustration, stating: "You look at every corner in the Premier League and something like this is happening, not just today, but on all the pitches. I am talking about the lack of consistency. The players are confused and frustrated and they don’t understand it. It is upsetting. It is up to them to solve it, there is a referee and VAR, but the referees confuse themselves."

Bowen echoed his manager’s sentiments, adding: "There’s lots of holding and grappling that goes on in the box. Are you going to look at those every time and give a penalty? Because that’s the only way that is the right way to do it."

The upcoming Ifab discussions will be crucial in determining how football addresses this persistent and divisive issue.