Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has raised concerns about the scope of VAR’s decision-making authority, following a contentious ruling that denied his team a stoppage-time equalizer against West Ham, a decision described by manager Gary O’Neil as “scandalous.”
The Midlands club believed they had leveled the score at 2-2 when Max Kilman headed in from a corner, only for referee Tony Harrington to consult VAR over a potential offside infringement by Tawanda Chirewa, who was positioned in front of West Ham goalkeeper Łukasz Fabianski.
While Chirewa was in an offside position, Kilman’s header found the opposite corner of the net, prompting Wolves to argue that Fabianski had no chance of stopping it regardless.
The 2-1 defeat leaves Wolves in 11th place, while West Ham climbed to seventh, level on points with Manchester United.
Wolves Chairman Jeff Shi (Credits: Wolves)
In a statement commending his team’s efforts throughout the season, Shi emphasized the impact of officiating decisions on the league’s integrity, stating, “Gary, our coaching team, and all the players have excelled this season, despite numerous controversial decisions affecting our games.”
Shi expressed frustration at VAR’s inconsistency and urged the Premier League to address concerns regarding refereeing standards, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the competition’s integrity.
“When a goal is scored without any question of its validity from players, coaches, and fans alike, it raises doubts about remote decisions to disallow goals,” Shi said, urging the Premier League and PGMOL to address these issues.
Wolves Chairman Jeff Shi (Credits: Wolves)
O’Neil echoed these sentiments, describing the decision to disallow Kilman’s goal as one of the worst he had seen, labeling it “scandalous” and “terrible.”
He criticized the decision-making process behind VAR’s ruling, highlighting the impact on the game’s outcome and questioning the referees’ judgment.
The defeat was a bitter blow for Wolves, who had earlier taken the lead through a Pablo Sarabia penalty, only to be pegged back by Lucas Paquetá’s equalizer and James Ward-Prowse’s stunning corner kick goal.
Reflecting on the match, O’Neil lamented the sequence of events that led to their defeat, including the contentious VAR decision, describing them as “crazy incidents” that handed West Ham an undeserved victory.
