Solanke’s goal could not have stood ―former ref

 

Former referee Dermot Gallagher says that Paul Tierney had no choice but to disallow Dominic Solanke’s ‘goal’ on Wednesday night.

Solanke thought he had scored the winner against West Brom only for his strike to be disallowed by handball.

“The referee disallowed it, but it’s very unlucky,” said Solanke, who says the ball accidentally clipped his arm.

But Gallagher has told Sky Sports that intention is not an issue because the handball resulted in a goal.

“It did go off his arm and go in. There’s no doubt about that because it changes direction. I think the problem for referees is the moral dilemma that it isn’t acceptable to score with the hand or the arm. It just doesn’t sit right,” said Gallagher.

“I use the term ‘moral dilemma’ because in law a handball has to be deliberate, but it doesn’t sit right for it to go in off the hand and it doesn’t look right.

“It’s not permissible to score with the hand anyway in law, so you are covered in that department. It has gone in off his arm, whether he likes it or not.

“It has flicked up and it’s quite clear that it goes in off his arm because it changes direction. I don’t think the referee has got any other choice but to disallow the goal.

“That just shows how difficult it is to be a referee because one manager says he’s very brave and one manager says he’s incorrect. I think, and most other football supporters and referees would think, he’s got that absolutely right.”