Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has earned praise from pundit Richard Keys for a scathing criticism of the Premier League and VAR. Wolves lost 2-1 at home to West Ham over the weekend, but could – and arguably should – have picked up a draw with a late equaliser.
In a statement after the match, Shi wrote: “If it wasn’t for a number of incorrect or contentious decisions we would be even further up the table,” Shi said in a statement. “When a goal is scored and not one person inside the stadium questions the validity of that goal, including both sets of players, coaches, fans and even the match officials themselves, it’s time to question whether someone remote disallowing that goal is really what football wants or needs.”
He added: “It is our sincere hope that the Premier League and PGMOL recognise the importance of addressing these concerns to uphold the integrity of the competition and demonstrate why the Premier League is regarded as the best in the world.”
Richard Keys Praises Strong Jeff Shi Statement
He also criticised David Moyes for a weak response
“Well said Jeff Shi – Wolves chairman,” Keys wrote in his blog, before recapping Shi’s statement. “We all know the answer. No. It isn’t. It was never intended to be like this. I ask again – why are we trying to find so many ways to disallow goals? Why the forensic dissection to deny the one thing that supporters pay to see?
“There was nothing wrong with that Kilman goal. The decision was compounded when the PGMOL issued a statement trying to defend the decision. They were wrong. There was no defence. The path of the ball was not over the head of the attacker and it was well to the right of the keeper. They were adrift on a matter of law.
“I’ve got to admit I was a little disappointed in David Moyes’ reaction. His team have suffered a succession of bad calls recently – including one at Molineux. They too had a perfectly good goal disallowed, so why didn’t Moyes come out in support of Gary O’Neil and his team? He had nothing to lose. The game was over. It was a win/win for him had he backed O’Neil. The only way we’ll reign these refs in is if we pressure them together. Looking at that decision in the round would’ve been far more productive of Moyes.”
| Wolves 2023-24 | |
| Goals for, disallowed by VAR | 2 |
| Goals for, awarded by VAR | 0 |
| Goals against, awarded by VAR | 1 |
| Goals against, disallowed by VAR | 0 |
Shi is Right to Feel Aggrieved
It’s a rare step for a Premier League club’s owner to make such a strong statement, but it’s one that needed to be made. Many agree that Max Kilman should have seen his equaliser stand against West Ham, in what was an important match for manager Gary O’Neil and his team.
Top flight clubs are seriously starting to push back against the Premier League’s implementation of VAR. Nottingham Forest have taken the biggest step in this regard, appointing former official Mark Clattenberg as their referees’ analyst. It remains to be seen whether the club’s voices will be heard clearly enough by the league for them to take action.
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