James Maddison has released a new angle of the incident, insisting he should have been awarded a penalty after being brought down late in Tottenham’s draw with Leeds United.
The midfielder, who missed nearly a year with a serious knee injury, made his season debut as a second-half substitute. His introduction injected fresh energy into a Tottenham side fighting for survival, moving two points clear of West Ham in the Premier League relegation battle.
In the closing stages, Maddison was tripped by Lucas Nmecha, and many believed a penalty should have been given. Referee Jarred Gillett waved play on, and after a brief VAR check, the decision was upheld, with officials ruling that the Leeds player had touched the ball first.
However, Maddison insists the call was wrong. Posting on social media on Tuesday evening, he wrote: “Just to clarify: that slight deflection came off the outside of my own right foot, not from Nmecha. I told the referee as much on the field, but the VAR review lasted only about 20 seconds.”
VAR official Craig Pawson conducted a quick check and did not send the referee to the pitchside monitor. Earlier in the match, Gillett had missed a penalty for Leeds when Mathys Tel caught Ethan Ampadu in the head with a high boot while clearing in his own box. VAR intervened, the decision was overturned, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the spot-kick to level the score.
Maddison continued his criticism: “Now referees are afraid to make decisions on the spot because of VAR. We’ll keep fighting to stay up. Come on, Spurs.”
After the match, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi also publicly criticized the officials. He said: “I think the referee was unsettled today, perhaps under pressure from the controversy around Arsenal’s game yesterday. We were clearly affected by external pressure too—our possession lacked rhythm, we were too hasty, and the official couldn’t stay calm either. I completely fail to understand why people are still debating that VAR decision from yesterday’s match. It was an absolute foul, not 100% but 200% a foul.”
