PGMOL Chief Webb Stands by VAR Decision on Gordon Goal 

Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon celebrates after the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC in Newcastle, Britain, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon celebrates after the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC in Newcastle, Britain, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
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PGMOL Chief Webb Stands by VAR Decision on Gordon Goal 

Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon celebrates after the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC in Newcastle, Britain, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon celebrates after the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC in Newcastle, Britain, 04 November 2023. (EPA)

Referees body (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb said there was no conclusive evidence available for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to disallow Anthony Gordon's goal for Newcastle United against Arsenal earlier this month.

Gordon's goal at St James' Park on Nov. 4 was allowed to stand following a lengthy VAR review to check if the ball went out of play, whether there was a foul in the build-up and for offside.

Arteta gave a scathing assessment of the match officials after the 1-0 defeat ended their unbeaten run in the league, with Arsenal backing the Spaniard's stance.

"We know the ball is curved, so it can be over-hanging the line and we need evidence it's out, and we don't have that here," Webb told Match Officials Mic'd Up on Tuesday.

"The ball then comes over and Joelinton challenges Gabriel (Magalhaes), and it could be a foul, might be a foul. The VAR decides that the evidence from the footage isn't clear enough to intervene with a recommendation for a review for a clear error.

"So again, no conclusive evidence that Gordon was offside when the ball was last touched. The VAR went through that diligently and identified no clear evidence to intervene to overturn the goal. The process was actually correct."

However, Webb said VAR fell short during Wolverhampton Wanderers game against Newcastle last month.

Newcastle were awarded a penalty following a challenge by Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan on Fabian Schar, a decision Wolves manager Gary O'Neil labelled "scandalous".

"We feel this is a situation that reaches the threshold for a clear and obvious error even though there is contact and the ball isn't played by Hwang," Webb said. "VAR didn't quite get there and, in our opinion, should have done."



Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Clinches Medal at Paris Olympics

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
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Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Clinches Medal at Paris Olympics

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria clinched a medal Saturday at the Paris Olympics following days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender have exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.

Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram bout, The AP reported.

Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after defeating Hamori for the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.

Khelif has faced international scrutiny after the banned International Boxing Association claimed Khelif failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s competition last year. She then won her opening bout Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

The unusual ending became a sharp wedge to drive into an already prominent divide over gender identity and regulations in sports, drawing comments from the likes of former US President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.

IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Khelif and Lin were disqualified in the middle of last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association, the now-banned former governing body of Olympic boxing, after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women's competition.

"We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman," Bach told a press conference.
"There was never any doubt about them being women."