A rule change must be made that prohibits players from being in the six-yard box prior to a corner being taken.
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann had this opinion in response to the VAR controversy between West Ham and Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard’s goal in the 83rd minute gave the Gunners a narrow 1-0 victory at London Stadium, moving them five points ahead of Manchester City with two games remaining.
West Ham, who are still in the bottom three and might fall behind 17th-place Tottenham by four points if the Lilywhites defeat Leeds on Monday night, may have been doomed to relegation as a result.
However, the game’s most talked-about moment occurred late in stoppage time when Callum Wilson believed he had levelled the score after taking advantage of a drop by David Raya.
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Jarrod Bowen’s corner was missed by the Arsenal goalkeeper, but VAR ordered referee Chris Kavanagh to the pitchside monitor to check if the Spaniard had been fouled.
Pablo’s arm was across Raya’s neck while gripping his arm, preventing him from collecting the ball, and the goal was chalked off after a five-minute wait.
However, VAR overlooked the fact that Trossard was also battling Pablo as Declan Rice had two arms wrapped around Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Cann Proposes Rule Change
Cann, who officiated both the Champions League and World Cup finals in 2010, has put forward a radical rule change.
According to talkSPORT, while speaking on Match of the Day, Cann said: “I feel like the time has come now for a law change whereby no attackers are allowed in the six-yard box before the corner is taken.
“So at goal kicks, forwards are not allowed in the penalty area.
“At corners, they shouldn’t be allowed in the six-yard box until the ball is in play.
“That would create natural separation and give the goalkeeper space, so we wouldn’t have these endless debates.
“And lots of teams grapple at corners, sometimes before the ball has come into play.
“And then obviously the referee can’t give a penalty or can’t give an indirect free-kick if the ball is not in play.
“So this would create that natural separation and eradicate these kind of situations.”
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