VAR Controversies Dominate Premier League Discussions
Burnley manager Scott Parker has expressed concerns that video assistant referee (VAR) decisions are threatening to make football "the most sterile game there is" following his team's controversial loss to Manchester United on Saturday.
In a dramatic finish, Ruben Amorim's side was awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time when Jaidon Anthony was penalized for pulling Amad Diallo's shirt inside the area. Referee Sam Barrott initially allowed play to continue but reversed his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. Bruno Fernandes successfully converted the penalty, securing a 3-2 victory for the hosts.
"It's the way the game has gone—quadruple checking everything every minute," Parker told BBC Match of the Day. "On the field, the referee didn’t give the foul. Then we’ve re-refereed it. It’s not the ref; it’s a guy 200 miles away in a box."
Burnley striker Lyle Foster also saw a goal disallowed for a marginal offside earlier in the second half, a decision he described as "unfair." The controversy at Old Trafford followed two contentious calls in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Fulham earlier in the day.
In that match, referee Rob Jones disallowed Fulham teenager Josh King's 21st-minute goal for a foul in the build-up. Enzo Fernandez then scored from the penalty spot after a Trevoh Chalobah cross struck Ryan Sessegnon’s arm. A frustrated Marco Silva told TNT Sports that the decision to disallow King's goal was "unbelievable," adding, "I prefer not to say something, because I would be punished."
Despite being only three games into the new Premier League season, VAR continues to dominate post-match discussions.
Late Drama Turns Hero to Villain
Anthony's equalizer in the 66th minute seemed to have secured a point for Burnley and increased the pressure on under-fire manager Amorim. However, he quickly became the villain after conceding the penalty to Amad. Barrott initially dismissed United's appeals, believing the first contact occurred outside the box. VAR official Stuart Attwell urged the referee to review the decision, leading to a lengthy four-minute delay before the penalty was awarded.
Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock commented, "The shirt pull starts outside the box but continues inside. It’s panic from Anthony more than anything." Earlier in the match, after Bryan Mbeumo had given Manchester United a 2-1 lead, Foster rounded goalkeeper Altay Bayindir only to have his goal ruled out for a narrow offside, with replays showing his arm was ahead of the last defender, Diogo Dalot.
Parker lamented, "We’re probably months or a year away from not celebrating goals at all. I stand on the touchline; you score a goal, and I feel like there’s a million things that go through your mind—a checklist. Was it offside? Did he step on his toe two minutes before?"
VAR's Impact on Goal Celebrations
Fulham thought they had taken the lead against Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King scored, but VAR official Michael Salisbury identified an earlier foul by Rodrigo Muniz on Chalobah. Referee Jones reviewed the footage and concluded that Muniz's "careless challenge" left officials with no choice. Many spectators felt the contact was minimal and that Muniz was merely shielding the ball.
Fulham's frustration deepened when Joao Pedro scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time, despite only eight minutes being indicated by the fourth official. Former Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy expressed his anger, stating, "I was really angry, not because it was Fulham but because I love football. Goals like that shouldn’t be disallowed by complete accidents."
In comparison, Jones’ decision to penalize Sessegnon for handball early in the second half was more understandable, although VAR spent considerable time reviewing a potential handball by Joao Pedro in the build-up. Silva remarked, "Everybody's shocked by what’s happened this afternoon. Nobody can tell me it was an obvious foul from Rodrigo. It’s difficult to understand."
Calls for Change in VAR Management
Burnley and Fulham are not the first teams to fall victim to VAR this season, nor will they be the last. During Liverpool's opening-day victory over Bournemouth, many were baffled when officials did not penalize Marco Senesi for what appeared to be a deliberate handball, which denied Reds striker Hugo Ekitike a clear run at goal. The Premier League later stated that Senesi's action was not deemed a clear handball offense.
Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze also had a stunning free-kick goal disallowed in a 0-0 draw against Chelsea due to a technicality involving a defender's proximity to the wall. In a previous match between Fulham and Manchester United, Silva and defender Calvin Bassey argued that Leny Yoro had pushed Bassey in the buildup to a goal.
Warnock criticized the current VAR system, stating, "People are really fed up with VAR and the forensics of VAR. Every time there’s a goal, we’re looking at it and asking, ‘Why are you looking for more?’ The game’s going backwards now; it’s not enjoyable to watch." He suggested that former players should be part of the VAR team, as they understand the nuances of the game better than referees alone.
"We know the game, we love the game, and we want to see it played in the right way and see the right outcome," Warnock added. "We know when a player is trying to cut across someone. When you’re doing that on a day-to-day basis, you see things differently."