This article contains adult content that may be inappropriate for minors. Please confirm that you are 18 years or older to continue. This article contains images or details that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. Igor Tudor, Tottenham's coach, did not hold back in his criticism of the refereeing team after the 1-2 defeat against Fulham, managed by Marco Silva, this Sunday. The coach deemed the decision to validate the first goal of the match as 'ridiculous' and accused Raúl Jiménez, former Benfica forward, of 'cheating' in the play. The controversy erupted just seven minutes in when Jiménez used both hands on Radu Dragusin's back in the ball dispute that preceded Harry Wilson's goal. After a VAR review, the refereeing team deemed that the contact 'did not reach the threshold for a foul' and the goal was validated. In the press conference, the Croatian coach was emphatic: 'Of course it was a foul. I think 99 out of 100 people would say it was a foul. It's so obvious.' Tudor lamented the lack of consistency in the criteria and recalled a play in the previous week's 1-4 home defeat against Arsenal. 'Last week the same thing happened. It was the same situation. We conceded the goal. They didn't call the foul after having given it. It's incredible.' 'It's ridiculous not to call the foul because the consequence is too great. It's not a small foul in midfield. It's a foul that leads to a goal. There is a logic to this,' Tudor stated, then addressing Jiménez: 'He wasn't thinking about the ball. He was thinking about how to cheat. And he cheated, pushed, and they scored a goal. It's a matter of logic. It's cheating, and therefore it's a foul. It has nothing to do with duels or with football being tougher here. There was no logic in this decision.' For his part, Marco Silva, Fulham's coach, did not comment on the play. 'I'm not going to make any comments about that. Of course, it's their opinion and I have to respect it,' said the Portuguese coach, who considered the victory deserved: 'I believe the three points are clearly deserved. The result should have been different given the number of chances we created. It was a great performance on our part.'
Benfica Igor Tudor remains central to this story.
Benfica Igor Tudor remains central to this story.
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