“Should clearly be a foul” – Calvin Bassey on Manchester United’s goal in nervy draw

By Oluwadamilola Olaleye

Nigeria international Calvin Bassey has expressed his frustration over the decision to allow Manchester United’s goal to stand in Fulham’s 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, insisting he was fouled in the build-up.

The Nigerian defender argued that United’s new signing Leny Yoro shoved him before the decisive touch, giving the visitors an unfair advantage.

Despite the controversy, Fulham managed to salvage a point late on when Emile Smith Rowe converted an Alex Iwobi cross to secure a share of the spoils.

Earlier, Manchester United had also been awarded a contentious penalty after a VAR review — one they failed to convert — further fueling debate around the officiating.

Bassey was candid in his post-match reflections: “Of course, looking back maybe a bit too much force. One of those ones I have got to protect myself and get in a position to attack the ball,” he told BBC Live Football Updates.

“You have seen them given, and you have seen them not. When you look at everything back in slo-mo, it is always going to be a foul. The ref has to take into consideration the difference in strength. If someone is my size, it doesn’t look as bad.”

On United’s goal, he was even firmer: “For me, it is clear and obvious. He has got two hands in the back and he [Yoro] has created an advantage for himself.

“If there is no contact, I get up there and fight with him. He has clearly stopped me from getting to the ball. For me, it should clearly be a foul.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva backed his player’s stance, describing the refereeing decisions as “unbelievable.”

“They were unbelievable — seeing two fouls at the same time, Shaw on Rodrigo and Bassey on Mount. Both fouls. They just saw that Bassey’s came half a second earlier,” Silva complained.

The result means Fulham remain unbeaten with two points from their opening two Premier League matches, though both Bassey and Silva felt it could and should have been more.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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