Reports suggest Thomas Bramall was well placed to rule out one of Fulham’s goals against Tottenham at Craven Cottage but chose not to intervene.
Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider that Raúl Jiménez should have been penalised for what he described as a clear shove on Radu Drăgușin during Sunday’s 1 March encounter.
The controversy adds to growing pressure on Igor Tudor, who has now lost his opening two games in charge in North London, leaving Spurs hovering just four points above the relegation zone with 10 matches to play.
Meanwhile, Marco Silva steered Fulham up to ninth in the Premier League table, thanks to first-half goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi, which secured all three points.
Tottenham fans question inconsistent calls
Spurs supporters were already aggrieved following the North London derby, where Randal Kolo Muani had a goal disallowed for an alleged push on Gabriel Magalhães, with many arguing the contact was minimal.
At Craven Cottage, however, what appeared to be a stronger push by Jiménez on Drăgușin in the build-up to Fulham’s goal went unpunished, drawing renewed scrutiny toward PGMOL and its officials.
Although VAR reviewed the incident, the goal stood — much to the anger of the travelling Spurs fans and the Tottenham bench.
Hackett said he was astonished that Bramall allowed the goal, especially with VAR supporting the decision just days after Spurs had their own strike ruled out against Arsenal.
“Perfectly positioned” to give foul
Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett said Bramall had a clear view of the incident and should have awarded a free-kick.
According to Hackett, a push remains an offence regardless of its intensity, and he questioned why a referee of Bramall’s experience failed to act. He suggested the threshold for penalising pushes may be shifting, creating inconsistency, and urged PGMOL officials to review and clarify interpretations surrounding pushing and handball decisions.
