Leeds United manager Daniel Farke expressed outrage after his team’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, claiming a clear penalty was missed due to a failure by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The incident, involving Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien and Leeds’ Pascal Struijk, occurred in the first half, with O’Nien appearing to grab Struijk by the neck inside the penalty area.
Farke told TNT Sports, “We see not even a question. What was VAR doing? It can’t be a clearer penalty. It is tough to understand how this is not checked and not re-watched.” He added that, had the incident been reviewed, referee Stuart Attwell would have undoubtedly awarded a penalty. “I am not sure what the VAR is doing in this moment,” Farke stated.
Former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, covering the game on Soccer Special, agreed with Farke’s assessment. “Leeds should have had a penalty. Pascal Struijk looks to acquire across Luke O’Nien and he just puts his arms straight around his neck. I can’t believe VAR haven’t intervened.” Former Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford was even more critical, calling the decision “absolutely embarrassing” and stating it was “clear as day” that a penalty should have been awarded.
The match officials for the Leeds-Sunderland fixture included referee Stuart Attwell, assistants Constantine Hatzidakis and Hristo Karaivanov, fourth official John Busby, VAR Paul Tierney, and assistant VAR Ian Hussin.
Adding to the controversy, VAR did intervene later in the match to recommend an on-field review for a potential handball by Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu. After reviewing the incident, Attwell overturned his initial decision and awarded a penalty to Sunderland, stating that Ampadu had “deliberately handled the ball” in the penalty area. Sunderland’s Habib Diarra subsequently scored from the spot, securing the win for the visitors.
Farke acknowledged the penalty decision, describing it as an “instinctive reaction” from Ampadu, but expressed disappointment that the penalty was nearly missed. “Sometimes football is like this. It is tough to grab,” he said.
In a separate Premier League match on Tuesday, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola also voiced his frustration with a VAR decision. Following a 0-0 draw with Brentford, Iraola claimed his team was denied a “clear” penalty when Marcus Tavernier was seemingly fouled in the box by Michael Kayode before having a shot on goal. VAR official Darren England reviewed the incident but did not award a penalty.
“We had a big penalty decision that did not go our way,” Iraola said. “VAR checked and cleared it within five seconds. Tavs was going to score and was clearly fouled, but somehow neither the referee nor VAR give the penalty. In my opinion it was so clear.” Tavernier echoed Iraola’s sentiments, stating he felt contact on his arm and Achilles and was disappointed VAR did not intervene.
