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."



Afghanistan Judoka Positive for Steroid in 3rd Doping Case at Olympics

Spectators cheer holding French flags ahead of the men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Spectators cheer holding French flags ahead of the men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
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Afghanistan Judoka Positive for Steroid in 3rd Doping Case at Olympics

Spectators cheer holding French flags ahead of the men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Spectators cheer holding French flags ahead of the men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A judoka from Afghanistan tested positive at the Paris Olympics for the anabolic steroid that sprinter Ben Johnson used at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Mohammad Samim Faizad gave a sample at his opening bout that tested positive for stanozolol, the International Testing Agency said Saturday. It was the third failed drug test at the Paris Games.

He lost his only bout in the men’s 81-kilogram class to Wachid Borchashvili of Austria on Tuesday.

Faizad turns 22 during the Olympics, from which he has been removed. He was the only athlete based in Afghanistan on its team of three men and three women in Paris.