The latest Wolves news as VAR audio from the 1-1 draw with Luton has been released following a penalty decision

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb admits the decision to award a penalty against Wolves in the Premier League clash against Luton Town has “split opinion”.

Wolves were 1-0 up at Kenilworth Road, despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half. But 15 minutes after Pedro Neto put Gary O’Neil’s side ahead, referee Josh Smith awarded a penalty to the Hatters with Joao Gomes adjudged to have committed a handball offense.

The decision prompted a backlash from O’Neil, due to the ball taking a deflection off Gomes’ foot before hitting his hand. Former Premier League referee Mike Dean also disagreed with the decision, despite it going to a VAR review.

Webb has now explained the decision in a monthly show, which releases audio of certain VAR incidents. The PGMOL chief had his say on the ambiguity of the handball law.

“It’s split opinion. Over the years the Laws of the Game have been simplified in terms of handball,” he said on Match Officials Mic’d Up. “Not that long ago, an arm above the shoulder would be deemed as automatically unnatural and therefore a handball will be given.

“But those words have been taken out and the only words that have replaced it really are around ‘unnatural position’, ‘unjustifiable position’, taking a risk by putting your arm in that position in the first place. Josh Smith, the referee here, felt that arm was so unnaturally positioned extremely above the head that it should be penalised.

“We always consult the stakeholders in the game. Within the Laws of the Game, maybe there’s some way we can use some flexibility to say what we feel in the English game should or shouldn’t be handball.

“But we can’t really say that any deflection prevents a handball because then you get players standing in front of a shot, arms out wide and then a tiny, little deflection off a leg onto a full arm would prevent a penalty being given.

“Don’t forget the on-field decision was a penalty and then the VAR checked to see whether that decision was clearly and obviously wrong, and clearly the VAR John Brooks deemed it wasn’t because he saw the position of the arm above the head.”

The show also releases audio from the decision being made. Here’s a brief transcript of what was said:

VAR : “Penalty given on field

REF : “His arm’s up, his arm’s up, relax, relax

VAR : “Josh, just checking the penalty for you.”

“They’re saying there might be a deflection. Have you got an angle on the other side?”

“So the arm is above the head anyway. So his arm is above his shoulder, but it takes a massive deflection. So you’ve got a very unnatural position.”

AVAR : “What is it deflected off?”

VAR : “His own foot, so it’s deflected off his own foot but the position of the arm anyway”

AVAR : “I don’t like the position of his hand.”

VAR : “It’s so high, above his head.”

“I think check complete, but I’m going to confirm it due to the position of the arm.”