Should The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stay or Go?
The English Premier League Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has admitted they made three mistakes in yesterday’s game. The first two are in the first games played which are the matches between Southampton and Everton, and then, Tottenham and Bournemouth game before Manchester United and Aston Villa game which came later in the day.
The Premier League confirmed United and Southampton should not have been given penalties, but Tottenham should have been awarded one. Former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, a Match of the Day pundit, said a former player should be involved to work alongside the VAR at Stockley Park.
The former Australia international said: “I think that would really help them, to understand the movements.” “When a player falls to buy a penalty you can feel it. It must need a player there to give advice on what the player is doing.” “They’re there to make the big decisions and they can’t do it. It’s really disappointing.”
Fifa is taking over direct responsibility of VAR from football rulemakers IFAB and is expected to insist on greater consistency across more than 100 global leagues, on issues such as the use of pitchside monitors.
There has been confusion in the Premier League since The Video Assistant Referee was introduced to the league, there even a time the Video Assistant Referee disagreed with the pitch referee, the game between Watford and Tottenham when the center referee said is a goal but VAR said is “No goal.”
Former Manchester United and Chelsea coach who is presently the manager of Tottenham Jose Mourinho said: “everyone in the world” thought his side should have had a penalty, apart from video assistant referee Michael Oliver. It was a clear push from King to Kane in the back as he defended a cross but referee Paul Tierney did not award a penalty and Oliver chose not to intervene as well.
The second error weas in the game between Southampton and Everton, Premier League confirmed Southampton should not have had a penalty against Everton. Ward-Prowse appeared to fall into the standing Andre Gomes, the penalty was however missed as the ball hit the crossbar.
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti commenting on the referee and VAR decision said : “The performance of the referee was like my team, not so good.” Austrialian Cahil also said about the mistakes that: “Straightaway we said no penalty,” saying the same thing Ancelotti had said.
In the third game, Manchester playmaker Bruno Fernandes had a controversial foul in the penalty box but referee Jon Moss awarded a penalty, a decision which was supported by the Video Assistant Referee. Fernandes scored from the spot to set United on their way to victory and leave Villa four points from safety.
