Has VAR broken the beautiful game? The hated technology's SIX biggest blunders, as fed

Release time：2024-05-18 00:39:42 Source：Culture Capsule news portal

Football fans may be divided by tribal rivalries but one subject has united supporters of the 'beautiful game' regardless of club loyalties - VAR, the video assistant referee.

Barely a match, let alone a weekend, goes by without yet more controversy over decisions either given or not given on the say-so of officials watching on multiple TVs at Stockley Park in Uxbridge, west London.

Now a rebellion has emerged, headed by Wolverhampton Wanderers who have demanded fellow Premier League clubs vote on whether to scrap VAR after five years of it operating in - and often dominating - English football's top flight.

The West Midlands side - whose manager Gary O'Neil has bemoaned a succession of calls going against them this season - highlighted a negative impact on goal celebrations, frustration and confusion endured by fans in grounds and much-disputed decisions still being made.

The vote at the Premier League's AGM on June 6 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, will need 14 of the 20 clubs to vote in favour of abandoning VAR for Wolves' motion to pass - with league officials confident they will see off any revolt.

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana clattered into Wolverhampton Wanderers' Sasa Kalajdzic on August 14 last year - yet VAR officials did not award a penalty, to Wolves' fury

Football fans have rallied in opposition to VAR, which stands for Video Assistant Referee - and now Premier League clubs are set to vote on whether to scrap the technology

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But if the decision were put to supporters instead of club officials, it seems likely there would be a groundswell in favour of switching off VAR for good.

Banners bearing anti-VAR slogans have been brandished at matches, chants and boos decrying lengthy waits for VAR decisions have been commonplace and Wolves' intervention was welcomed by many on social media last night.

TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine, posting on X, formerly Twitter, said: 'Oh please let's throw VAR in the bin ... this letter is bang on, thank-you @Wolves.'

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wrote: 'VAR in its current form is taking away much more than it is giving back. Scale it right back or scrap it.'

And a campaign group called Fans Against VAR said: 'We must never forget the clubs which betray fans by voting to keep VAR.' 

This past year has seen some of VAR's most disputed calls - including the following six highlighted here by the Mail.

Luis Diaz: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool - September 30, 2023 

Referees' body PGMOL was forced to admit there was a 'significant human error' when Liverpool's Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside in their away defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last September.

An audio recording was released of the VAR officials' discussions which revealed Darren England failed to intervene to correct the call, in what PGMOL described as a 'lapse of concentration and loss of focus'.

The Stockley Park team mistakenly thought the on-field decision had been to award the goal and told the referee the check was complete - only to realise their blunder after play had resumed and the goal remained chalked off.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (right), seen standing next to fourth official Michael Oliver, was incredulous about Luiz Diaz's goal against Spurs being ruled out last September

Luis Diaz was denied a goal after VAR wrongly completed a check believing that the goal had been given on the pitch when the offside flag had actually gone up

Jeremy Doku: Manchester City vs Liverpool - March 10, 2024

Manchester City winger Doku went crashing into Alexis Mac Allister in the penalty area in the dying moments of their Anfield clash.

The referee Michael Oliver decided against giving a penalty, and VAR stuck with the on-field decision in the match which ended 1-1 shortly afterwards.

Jeremy Doku appeared to kick Alexis Mac Allister in the chest but Liverpool got no penalty

Willy Boly: Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth - December 23, 2023

Boly was shown a second yellow card in the first half hour for a challenge on Bournemouth’s Adam Smith, sparking controversy as Forest went on to lose 3-2.

Boly won the ball, his momentum taking out Smith, but VAR officials were unable to intervene because they cannot overturn yellow cards.

Nottingham Forest defender Willy Boly was shown a second yellow card and a red for a challenge on Bournemouth’s Adam Smith on December 23 last year

Anthony Gordon: Newcastle United vs Arsenal - November 4, 2023

A scrappy goal by Gordon was allowed to stand after VAR checked three points – the ball going out of play, a possible offside against the scorer, and a possible push by Joelinton on Arsenal defender Gabriel.

The offside was probably the most contentious decision, with the VAR unable to draw their lines due to the ball being obscured in their video replays.

Joelinton's apparent push on Gabriel went unpunished as Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon scored past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya on November 4 last year

Dominic Calvert-Lewin: Everton vs Crystal Palace - January 4, 2024

In this FA Cup tie between two Premier League clubs, England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin tackled Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne and play went on.

But VAR called over referee Chris Kavanagh to show him Calvert-Lewin had grazed Clyne's leg on the follow-through and a red card was shown - though this was later rescinded when Everton appealed.

Andre Onana: Man United vs Wolves - August 14, 2023

Wolves' rankles with the technology have only risen since a last-ditch decision against them in their opening game of the season last August.

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana charged off his line in injury-time as Wolves attacked in hope of an equaliser, clattering into striker Sasa Kalajdzic - but VAR officials opted not to award the penalty many were expecting.

Andre Onana was fortunate to not concede a penalty after clattering into Sasa Kalajdzic on his Old Trafford debut on August 14 last year

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In their letter published yesterday calling for the vote, Wolves said: 'After five seasons of VAR in the Premier League, it is time for a constructive and critical debate on its future.

'The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game and as a result we should remove it from the 2024-2045 season onwards.'

A Premier League spokesperson hit back by saying the league 'fully supports the use of VAR and remains committed, alongside PGMOL, to make continued improvements to the system for the benefit of the game and fans'.

VAR backers point to statistics which suggest the number of correct decisions has risen from 82 per cent to 96 per cent since VAR was brought in.

Yet not only football fans but also former players and referees have been increasingly speaking up against VAR.

Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney initially offered a simple one-word reply when asked whether he would like VAR to be scrapped - telling Sky Sports last night: 'Please.'

He went on to say: 'I don't like it - I think if it's there and you get all the decisions right, then fair enough, but it's taking all the enjoyment out of the game.

'You're a goalscorer, you score a goal and you're having to wait to celebrate - the fans have to wait to celebrate - and then they're getting decisions wrong.

'I think you're better off letting the referees ref it and understand they will make mistakes, but I'd much rather see it without it.'

Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney accused VAR of 'taking all the enjoyment out of the game' as he called for it to be scrapped

The Premier League clubs will vote on VAR at their annual general meeting in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on June 6 - pictured is last night's match between Brighton and Chelsea 

Wolves have been aggrieved by a series of decisions which went against them, including this apparent foul by Manchester United's Andre Onana which VAR ruled was not a penalty

Wolves fans demonstrated their opposition to VAR as their side took on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 2 last year

Another Wolves supporter shared these messages as their club hosted Nottingham Forest - another side which has criticised officials this season - on December 9 last year

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And retired former top-flight referee Keith Hackett told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We've either got to improve it or scrap it, I think it's as simple as that.

'At the moment it's been in five years - we're not really seeing improvements.

'We're hearing people talk about percentage improvements in certain decision areas, but in reality I think it's harming the game.

'It needs leadership and direction. We've got to get out of referees hesitating about decisions.'

Hackett, who refereed at the 1988 European Championship as well as in England's top division both before and after the Premier League's formation, described it as a 'nonsense' that fans in grounds were left more in the dark than those watching on TV.

And he sympathised with on-field officials put under added pressure by VAR. 

He said: 'It has impacted on referees negatively because what we hear when we hear the voices of VAR and the referee is confusion.

'I would not have liked refereeing with someone talking and doing a running commentary in my ear about decisions.

'The criteria that it's started with has drifted and we're getting too much intervention - we're using VAR as a safety net.

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett described VAR as 'harming the game'

On-field referees can be told to go to pitchside monitors to rewatch incidents - as shown here by Mike Dean, officiating a February 2021 game between Burnley and West Bromwich Albion

VAR officials tune into match action at Stockley Park in Uxbridge, west London

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'I think it needs a group of specialist VAR operators, fully trained, and we need to have on the big screens in stadiums the communication between referees and the visuals of what TV is seeing.

'It's a nonsense that a fan in the stadium is left not really understanding what's happening someone sat next to them with something like Sky Go is part of the process.'

Former professional footballer and ex-Football Association chief executive Mark Palios, now executive chairman of Tranmere Rovers, insisted he was 'in favour of the principle of VAR'.

But he admitted: 'There are clearly problems with the practical application.'

He suggested the technology was now being used too often to intervene, rather than being limited to only 'clear and obvious' errors made by on-field officials.

Mr Palios said: 'For me this is where it's gone wrong is the clear and obvious rubric. I think they've moved away from that and there's an opportunity to come back and look at that and say, "This is what we should be doing".

'I think the intervention should be less if it's clear and obvious - that removes the delays and upholds the authority of the referee to a greater extent.

'I think it's gone too far, is what I'm saying - it's worth a relook at what it's trying to achieve and is the balance right in terms of the deal, because VAR interruptions doesn't exclude human error?'

Tranmere Rovers executive chairman Mark Palios, former chief executive of the FA, supports VAR 'in principle' but said there were 'clearly problems with the practical application

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neil has criticised officials after a series of rulings against his club - including a late penalty giving Sheffield United a winner last November

Wolves fans are seen displaying a flag with an anti-VAR message during their home match at Molineux against Luton Town on April 27

Similar sentiments have been expressed north of the border, with this message shared at the match between Scottish Premiership sides Aberdeen and Dundee on April 13

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Last night's two Premier League matches brought more scrutiny of VAR's role, with Newcastle United and England forward Anthony Gordon among those aggrieved.

He said after his side's 3-2 defeat to Manchester that he did not understand the point of VAR after there was no intervention to award Newcastle a penalty after he appeared to be fouled by the home club's Sofyan Amrabat. 

Gordon, whose left foot sock was torn by Amrabat's boot, told Sky Sports afterwards: 'It was a clear and obvious mistake - I don't know how you can get it wrong. So either get rid of it or get better. It's very simple.

'I don't mind the referee getting it wrong on the pitch becayse things happen really quickly - but I don't understand what the point of VAR is, because it's there to correct mistakes.'

Chelsea manager Maurico Pochettino said after his side's 2-1 victory at Brighton last night, which saw VAR cancel a penalty awarded to the away side, said 'We're living in an era of technology.

'For me, it's not in or out, yes or not - it's to improve the way we manage the two.'

His opposite number, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, criticised the standard of Premier League officiating - including last night's on-field referee Michael Salisbury.

De Zerbi sympathised with Chelsea captain Reece James, who was sent off late in the game for kicking out at Joao Pedro - while also insisting his team should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on Simon Adingra.

Anthony Gordon felt he should have been awarded a penalty for a foul by Sofyan Amrabat

Amrabat's tackle down Gordon's Achilles ripped a hole in the Newcastle player's sock

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi responded to questions on the potential scrapping of VAR by criticising the standard of Premier League refereeing

VAR intervened in last night's match at Brighton for the sending-off of Chelsea's Reece James 

Chelsea captain James was dismissed for violent conduct, after kicking Brighton's Joao Pedro 

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, pictured left alongside assistant coach Jesus Perez during last night's 2-1 win at Brighton, said there was a need to 'improve' the use of VAR

He said: 'We have to speak of the level of the referees, like the level of the coaches and the players.

'Behind the VAR there are the people and we have to analyse the level of the people. I didn't like the referee today. Not for the penalty because nothing changes but I didn't like the personality or the control of the game.

'I'm sorry for the red card of James because I think it was a normal reaction - if you have played football in your life you know a reaction like this can happen.'

The final whistles will be blown on the Premier League season this Sunday afternoon - but the AGM vote set for June 6 raises the prospect of more VAR drama to come.

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