Dissatisfaction with VAR seems to be back with a vengeance after the incidents of last weekend, with a meeting of Premier League clubs scheduled for next month to discuss the implementation of remote technology and look into the reasons referees have been avoiding their pitchside monitors.
Most of us imagined the ability to check a quick replay on the sidelines would be all officials needed to sort out contentious incidents not readily picked up in real-time. When VAR was being dreamed up the general idea seemed to be that travesties on the pitch that led to the referee being besieged by aggrieved defenders – think Thierry Henry’s sneaky 2009 handball against Republic of Ireland to take an old but obvious example – could easily be ironed out if the official in question were allowed a quick peek at a monitor. A short delay in the game might not be ideal, but a better option surely than allowing a cynically illegal goal to stand.
Related: Supporters’ groups want clarification from Premier League over VAR chaos
Related: James Milner: ‘I’m not a fan of VAR … the atmosphere is being ruined’
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