James Maddison Slams Petrified Officials After Tottenham Vs Leeds VAR Penalty Decision

Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was denied a stoppage-time penalty in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United after referee Jarred Gillett and VAR dismissed his appeal following a challenge from Lukas Nmecha.

“The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that.”

BBC

Maddison wrote on his Instagram account that “The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that.”

BBC

The Premier League later explained via its Match Centre X account that “The referee's call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Nmecha played the ball.”

With the draw leaving Spurs two points above the Premier League relegation zone with two games to play, the incident immediately fed into a wider dispute over how VAR is affecting refereeing decisions.

The match itself included a Leeds penalty after Mathys Tel caught Ethan Ampadu with a high foot, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin converting past Antonin Kinsky from 12 yards.

Maddison’s frustration sharpened into a direct attack on match officials, with the BBC reporting he said referees are “petrified” to make decisions because of VAR.

In the same Instagram message, Maddison added, “Officials are petrified to make decisions on pitch now because of VAR. We keep fighting. COYS.”

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The BBC also quoted Alan Shearer criticizing VAR’s impact on standards, saying refereeing standards are “the worst we have seen for a long time” and “only getting worse” because of its use.

Stephen Warnock went further, describing VAR as the “worst thing that has been introduced to the game,” while Wayne Rooney said football’s emotion is being drained by technology.

Beyond England, the BBC said Europe’s top leagues have been summoned to a meeting with Uefa in the summer to discuss how VAR technology is being used, with Roberto Rosetti saying: “I believe that we forgot the reason why VAR was introduced.”

The penalty controversy landed with immediate survival implications for Tottenham, which remained two points above the Premier League relegation zone with two games to play after the 1-1 draw.

“Maddison could face potential disciplinary action after hitting out at "petrified" referees”

The Mirror

The Mirror reported Maddison could face potential disciplinary action after he slammed “petrified” officials in the VAR row, following the late penalty appeal that was waved away and then upheld after a VAR review.

In the same account, the Premier League confirmed the VAR check outcome, stating “The referee's call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Nmecha played the ball.”

Sky Sports added that Spurs would have had the chance from 12 yards to extend their lead over 18th-placed West Ham to four points with two games remaining if the penalty had been awarded.

Looking ahead, Spurs were scheduled to travel to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and then host Everton on Sunday, May 24 (4pm kick-off), while Leeds were set to play Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon (3pm) and then finish with an away trip against West Ham.