Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou admits he would like to see VAR scrapped in its current format and says he is not a fan of the direction that the officiating of football is heading.
Spurs were involved in a huge VAR controversy last weekend when their opponents Liverpool saw a legitimate goal from Luis Diaz ruled out for offside due to an error from the video assistant referee Darren England, before Postecoglou’s side went on to win the game 2-1.
England incorrectly disallowed the goal by mistakingly confirming the original decision of no goal, thinking the goal had in fact been given in the first place.
And Postecoglou believes the introduction of VAR has had a negative impact on the game.
“I would in its current form. I just don’t think that technology is ready for our game,” he said when asked if he would like to see it scrapped.
“I just think our game is unique. And I know people say well let’s get referees explaining their decisions, oh my god. Seriously? Can you imagine sitting there listening to a referee explaining every decision in the game.
“The measure of who was a good referee are the ones you never noticed, and now we’re trying to make them the stars of the show. We’re analysing, in slow motion, yellow cards.
“I just think with VAR at the moment, I’ve seen it in the last week. The more we use it, I think the worse it’s going to get.
“It was there for, what was the term? Clear and obvious errors. It seems like everything now. Yellow cards, fouls, corners. Everything is getting scrutinised with that and it’s not our game. We’re not rugby. We don’t have those stoppages.
“The beauty of our game, what I always loved about, particularly in England, was the frenetic pace of football. That’s what everyone kept saying about the Premier League, the English first division, that was the difference with some other leagues that are slow and ponderous and it drives you nuts.
“Not the English league. It’s bang, bang. Why are we trying to take that out?
“I think part of the consequence of last week was that none of us liked it when they were taking so long for a decision. Last week it sounded like they were rushing to a decision so maybe that’s a consequence.
“That to me suggests that I don’t think the technology in its current form is suitable for our game. But I know I will be in the minority in that and I guess my role within that is to sort of accept that, whatever my feelings are, ultimately there’s still going to be and arbitrar of decisions and we have to abide by that.
“This is probably the only time where I’m happy that I’m 58 not 38. I’m not sure what the game is going to look like in 20 years’ time and I’m not sure I would like it because of the way it’s going.
“I’ve always loved the fact that our game has more flaws in it and that the uniqueness of our game is that goal is so hard to get and we always focus around that.
“We’re trying to sanitise all that by trying to make it into something that I just don’t think is our game. That’s not what I’ve loved about football, I’ve loved the imperfect nature of it.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had suggested a replay of the game would be fair following his side’s defeat, but Postecoglou is not in agreement.
He explained: “I think Jurgen’s said that was maybe taken a little bit out of context. My view is, when you’re talking about a replay, there’s got to be some sort of threshold and I don’t think a mistake is a threshold for that, irrespective of the consequences.
“If we’re straying into integrity or misappropriation of the law, you kind of maybe have a case to say there’s something there. But ultimately when you strip it all back, it was a mistake.
“It was a unique mistake, people have said an unprecedented mistake, yes I agree with that. But it’s still a mistake. If your threshold for replays are mistakes by individuals, that’s 365 games a year I reckon.”
