Former Southampton striker Charlie Austin has reacted to James Maddison’s bullish claim on being denied a penalty in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Leeds.
Spurs missed out on a golden opportunity to move four points clear of West Ham and give themselves some breathing space in the battle for survival.
The Lilywhites were on the receiving end of a controversial decision, with referee Jarred Gillett denying the home side a penalty in the dying stages when Maddison went down under a challenge by Lukas Nmecha.
Maddison has insisted that it was he who got the touch on the ball, and opined that the officials are ‘petrified’ of making decisions in the era of VAR.
Charlie Adam says Tottenham star James Maddison is right about the referees
Reports indicate that the 29-year-old Spurs star is now at risk of being punished by the FA for his comments on the officiating.
However, Adam believes that Maddison is right to feel aggrieved and agrees with the England international’s comments about the referees shying away from making decisions and leaving things to VAR.
The former QPR man told Sky Sports: “I’m with James Maddison and I understand his frustration. However, Maddison has been injured all season, and like us all, he’s been watching football, and just like the fans, he thinks referees are petrified.
“First game, he’s involved in that, and he clearly feels hard done by. For me, it’s be brave, don’t rely on VAR, that’s the frustration for me.”
New footage proves Maddison was not bluffing
Initially, some experts suggested that Jarred Gillett was right to deny Tottenham’s demands for a spotkick as Nmecha got a slight touch on the ball.
However, new footage from a different angle clearly proves that Maddsion was being truthful. When watched from the other side, it appears that the attacking midfielder got the final touch with the outside of his foot, with Nmecha missing the ball and catching the Tottenham man.
Spurs fans will be hoping that they do not look back on his contentious decision as the one which ended up relegating the club.