Complaints from Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest… this is how the rebellion against VAR in Premiere was born

VAR took a while to enter the Premier League. Serie A and Bundesliga introduced it in the 2017–18 season, while Ligue 1 and La Liga introduced it in the 2018–19 season. However, it was only in the 2019–20 season that it appeared in “football,” which has always looked askance at this technology.

“It’s inevitable,” said then-Prime Minister Richard Scudamore. English clubs They voted against its introduction in the 2018/19 season (it was used in the Carabao and FA Cup) and gave the green light for its introduction next season. “I know a lot of people are against it, but we have to accept it and move on. We have seen many situations in which sanctions were applied incorrectly. Its implementation is good,” said former referee Mark Halsey.

Since 2019, VAR has become part of the Premier League, whose objectives have been “goal technology” since 2013–14. However, over these five years, video arbitration in England has become controversial. “When we discussed it, I voted yes on the condition that it would be limited to certain key areas. I didn’t realize there would be so many delays.Or did we think it would work?” Peter Coates, chairman of Stoke, told the Guardian at the time.

A feeling that continued to exist and grew with every long “check” or error that occurred. The extreme that led to Wolverhampton will demand that the abolition of VAR for next season be voted on at the next premier’s meeting on June 6. If 14 of the 20 teams decide to “cut it”, video refereeing will disappear from the English league in the 2024/25 season. A real earthquake.

Why do they want to remove VAR?

“Influence on goal celebration and spontaneous passion”, “frustration and confusion in stadiums due to lengthy VAR checks and poor communication”, “exceeding the original target and undermining the authority of the referee”, “consistent errors despite VAR” and “breaking up the fast tempo”. “Premiere with long reviews and a lot of added time” are some of the arguments put forward by the Wolves in favor of “defusing” this tool. Complaints about the technology, which is causing a lot of “resentment” in England because it is inaccurate and “harmful to the spirit of the game.”

People have the misconception that VAR won’t have any downsides, but it’s all down to interpretation and they’re still human. VAR will never be perfect

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham head coach

“People mistakenly believe VAR has no flaws, but it’s all down to interpretation and they’re still human. When you set the bar that high for something, it’s bound to fail. VAR will never be perfect“Said Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou. “We understand that the judge makes mistakes, and we can accept that. But when it happens with technology, it’s hard to understand. It’s about simplifying things and giving the referee more power. We trust the car, the problem is the driver,” Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino said.

VAR? We trust the car, the problem is the driver

Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea head coach

A trace of criticism which started this season after a goal disallowed due to Luis Diaz’s offside in the 1-0 defeat of Liverpool at Tottenham which was not considered. “This was a significant, factual, clear and obvious human error which should have resulted in the goal being disallowed due to VAR intervention,” he said. cleared by the Professional Games Officials Council (PGMOL).

Judge Simon Hooper, who was already in the fridge after failing to signal a clear penalty for Wolves in their 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.again became the protagonist of this action, which led to the “sending off” of Darren England (VAR) and Dan Cook (assistant VAR).

The Reds issued a statement saying “sporting integrity has been undermined” and found the explanations “unacceptable” and called for the match to be replayed. PGMOL began making VAR conversations public after the incident. However, the controversy continued. “Quad review” (out, foul, handball and offside) Gordon’s goal, confirmed by Stuart Attwell and leading to Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat in Newcastle, fired up the Gunners and Mikel Arteta. “It’s a shame. You can’t imagine how many messages I get saying this can’t go on. It’s awkward.”– said the Spanish coach.

Charged with being a player on a rival team

Statements from clubs criticizing the refereeing system and VAR have been common this season. Without going further, Nottingham Forest have accused Attwell, the referee who filmed the video in their 2-0 loss to Everton, of being a Luton fan. the club they risked relegation with. “We already warned PGMOL that the VAR referee was a Luton fan but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested several times already. “We made three terrible decisions, three unimposed penalties that we simply cannot accept,” they said in a statement.

When all this is over, we will sit down, talk about the rules again and from there we will see how much they listen to us, which I am also not very good at.”

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach

This is the breeding ground that has led Wolves and English league clubs to a plebiscite on whether VAR will remain in place next year. Just a riot. “We need to talk about this. When this is all over we’ll sit down We’ll talk about the rules again and from there we’ll see how much they listen to us, which I’m not very good at either.or,” Arteta reflected. The debate is taking place in the Prime Minister.