New Neco Williams Handball Footage Proves the Touch, But the VAR Row Is Far From Over

The ball did hit Neco Williams’ arm. New footage released after Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur shows a previously unseen camera angle of the build-up to the Welsh defender’s disallowed 67th-minute goal, and it confirms the contact. Video assistant referee Peter Bankes ruled the goal out for accidental handball, and both Williams and Forest manager Oliver Glasner insisted afterwards that there was no proof the ball touched an arm. That argument no longer holds. But the row is not over, because the question has shifted from whether there was a handball to whether the VAR process was handled properly, and why this angle was not shown at the time.

What the new Neco Williams handball footage shows

The new footage shows the ball bouncing off Neco Williams’ arm moments before he bundled it over the line against Tottenham. That is the key detail reported by BBC Sport football issues correspondent Dale Johnson. Until this angle emerged, the broadcast replays were inconclusive, which is why Forest felt so aggrieved.

The incident itself was straightforward. In the 67th minute of a tight Premier League game, Williams got on the end of a goalmouth scramble and forced the ball home. The celebrations were cut short when Bankes intervened from Stockley Park, and the goal was chalked off for accidental handball. The game finished goalless.

The new angle settles one thing: there is no longer a debate about whether the ball touched the arm. It did. The debate is now about the decision-making process and about transparency.

Why Glasner and Williams were so certain

After the match, Oliver Glasner said there was no evidence the ball had touched Williams’ arm. The player said the same. Their view was based on the replays available at the time, which genuinely did not show a clear touch.

Their frustration is easy to understand. A disallowed goal in a game that ends 0-0 is the difference between one point and three in the Premier League table. For a club fighting for its season objectives, that margin matters.

The new footage undermines their central claim. Saying there is no proof is no longer credible. What remains unclear is whether Bankes had access to this angle when he made the call, or whether he ruled on less conclusive pictures. That is where the doubt lives.

What the handball law says about the goalscorer

The IFAB Laws of the Game are explicit on this point. A goal is disallowed if the scorer plays the ball with their hand or arm, or scores immediately after the ball has touched their hand or arm, even if accidental. There is no intent test for the goalscorer.

This is different from a team-mate. If the ball accidentally strikes a team-mate’s arm in the build-up, the goal can stand depending on the circumstances. For the scorer, accidental contact is enough to rule the goal out.

In Williams’ case, the arm contact came in the act of scoring. If the footage is accurate, Bankes applied the law correctly. The PGMOL and its chief refereeing officer Howard Webb have explained this principle repeatedly in previous Premier League controversies, and this incident fits the same pattern.

Why the VAR row will not end here

The issue is not the law, it is the process. If the VAR disallowed the goal without having the angle that proves the handball, it reached the right outcome for the wrong reasons, which erodes trust. If the angle existed but was not shown to supporters or broadcasters, that is a transparency failure.

The Premier League has been here many times. Every contentious VAR call reignites the debate about in-stadium announcements and the release of audio from Stockley Park. Supporters want to hear the reasoning in real time, not read about it days later.

For Forest, the draw with Tottenham feels like two points lost. For Spurs, it is a defeat avoided. For English officiating, it is another week of scrutiny. The new footage answers one question and raises several more.

What happens next for Forest and Tottenham

Both clubs move on to their next Premier League fixtures, but the fallout will follow the officials rather than the players. Expect the PGMOL to be asked directly whether the new angle was available to Bankes at the time of the check.

Glasner is unlikely to withdraw his criticism entirely. Even with the contact confirmed, his broader point about the clarity of the process has gained rather than lost weight.

For Premier League fans, this is a reminder that VAR technology alone does not settle arguments. Clear, fast communication does. Until that improves, every disallowed goal will spark the same row.

FAQ