Morgan Gibbs-White’s, 25, 89th-minute penalty sealed a 2-1 win for Forest in their Premier League game on Tuesday (01.06.26), leaving manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s side winless in 10 league games and seven points adrift of safety with pressure intensifying on the Hammers boss.
Speaking to Sky Sports, West Ham midfielder Soucek, 30, said: “For me it is a joke. I just saw it again and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that.
“I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world, and we are all fighters and warriors. But this looks more like basketball when you can’t touch the player.”
The decisive moment came when VAR intervened after West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, 32, collided with Gibbs-White while attempting to deal with a cross.
Soucek had headed the initial delivery clear, but referee Tony Harrington was sent to the pitchside monitor before overturning his original decision.
The Hammers midfielder added: “[Areola] is the same in the dressing room. He didn’t know who was fouled. He came for the ball, I think I cleared it and it was already out.
“We didn’t know why there was VAR and then the penalty, so it was tough for all of us.”
Harrington informed supporters inside the stadium of his decision, announcing: “After review, the goalkeeper fouls Nottingham Forest number 10. My final decision is penalty kick.”
West Ham’s frustration was compounded by an earlier VAR intervention that ruled out a second goal when they were leading 1-0, adding to a growing sense of grievance around key decisions during their slump.
Manager Santo, himself a former goalkeeper, echoed Soucek’s disbelief and questioned the interpretation of the laws.
He said: “I was a goalkeeper and you cannot stop your movement. You go for the ball – it has a trajectory and a line.
“How many times you see this happen and nothing is given? Not in my days and not today, it should not be given. That is how I see it.
“We have the referee, the VAR and we have to accept. For me it is not a penalty.”
The defeat leaves West Ham facing an increasingly bleak battle to retain their top-flight status, with just 17 games remaining to close the gap on the teams above them.
Despite the mounting pressure, Santo insisted his players must remain united and resilient.
He said: “We will keep believing and sticking together. It’s not over yet. We keep on going.
“You know me. I’ll keep on going, believing and working with the boys. Sometimes you have good moments and bad moments, but you need to be resilient enough to understand that this is the game.”
