VAR has not been a success and should be removed from the Premier League.
That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, who believes last weekend’s horror show between Spurs and Liverpool is the final straw in what has been a failed technological experiment.
Saturday night’s Premier League blockbuster at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw Spurs pip fellow title-chasers Liverpool to all three points after they secured a 2-1 victory.
However, the result could, and should, have been different. Luis Diaz had a goal wrongfully disallowed after Darren England and assistant Dan Cook failed to act and overturn the incorrect on-field offside decision.
Liverpool have since responded to PGMOL’s admission that human error cost the Reds potentially crucial points stating VAR’s errors ‘undermined the sporting integrity’ of the game and announced the club will ‘explore the range of options available’ to them.
What has Stan Collymore said about VAR?
And in light of what has been yet another major talking point centred around the use of VAR in the Premier League, Collymore has become the latest big name to call for its immediate removal.
“I was a big advocate for VAR,” he said in an exclusive interview.
“I really wanted to see it introduced into the Premier League because I thought it had the potential to make our game so much better, but I was wrong. I’m happy to admit that I have since changed my mind and would like to see it removed.
“It is absolutely killing the game. It has drained virtually all of the excitement and passion out of the sport, not only for the fans but also for the players. I don’t know about everyone, but I certainly watch games now and even when a belter of a goal goes in, I struggle to get excited because you never know [if an offside or foul is going to be awarded].
“For the marginal improvement in correct decisions, and it is marginal, it just isn’t worth it. VAR was never supposed to be the main character in this show, it was introduced to stop the pub conversations about what decisions were right and what decisions were wrong, but it’s made it all so much worse. All we talk about now is VAR.
“There is more focus on the technology and the constantly adapting and changing rules than on the actual 90 minutes of action. I don’t care if the Champions League use it, or if it’s been a success in the World Cup, get it out of the Premier League now!”
Do you agree with Collymore? – Would you prefer to see VAR removed from the sport? – Let us know in the comments below.
VAR is not the problem. Without it, then the ref and linesman had already said it was offside, so it would still have been wrong, and we would all still be moaning.
The big problem is the understanding/interpretation of the rules.
The Spurs v Liverpool game was everything bad about the standard of our refs at the moment. We need very clear rules in place about what VAR is to be used for, and the officials need to do their job right.
Mistakes on the pitch will happen, but when they do pundits need to relax a bit. If it’s subjective they need to stop saying “they don’t understand because they haven’t played the game”. If that’s the case, get out of your comfy overpaid pundit job and get in the VAR booth.
For me, VAR is for all cards, offsides, handballs and penalty calls. Other than that it’s subjective so leave it to the ref and acknowledge that mistakes will happen.