Yet another week unfolds, bringing with it a fresh wave of VAR controversies that have left football managers fuming. Following a contentious defeat to Fulham, Wolves manager Gary O’Neil expressed a sentiment shared by many in the football community, stating, “Maybe tonight has finally turned me against VAR.” He contended that the video assistant referees, stationed at screens in west London, had cost his team a total of seven points this season.
Across the English Channel in Paris, Newcastle United faced VAR-induced frustration when, in stoppage time, referee Szymon Marciniak, summoned to the monitor, penalized Tino Livramento for handball. Former striker Alan Shearer did not mince his words, labeling the decision “disgusting.”
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal boss, found himself venting his frustration as he branded the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s recent goal for Newcastle United against his team as a “disgrace.” This outcry followed closely on the heels of Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, who suggested that his team deserved a replay after a VAR error against Tottenham Hotspur led to a Luis Diaz goal being incorrectly ruled offside.
With each contentious or mishandled decision, a chorus of enraged managers, impassioned pundits, and frenzied social media takes ensues. Yet, amidst the uproar, the question lingers: What changes would these managers propose for the VAR system and its implementation if they held the power to do so?
