Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham boss says VAR should be scrapped because technology not suitable for football | football news

Ange Postecoglou believes VAR should be scrapped after Liverpool were mistakenly denied a goal against Tottenham last weekend; Spurs boss rejects Jurgen Klopp’s replay calls; Follow Luton vs Tottenham on Saturday with the Sky Sports live blog and watch free highlights from 5.15pm

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou believes VAR should be removed from the Premier League amid the ongoing debate over the use of the technology.

Spurs achieved a highly controversial 2-1 victory over Liverpool last Saturday after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute goal at 0-0 was incorrectly disallowed for offside, with Professional Game Match Officials Limited subsequently admitting that “significant human error” had occurred. .

Postecoglou believes the error was due to the VAR room rushing its decision to avoid a prolonged delay disrupting the “frantic pace” of football.

Asked if VAR should be scrapped, the Australian replied: “I would do it in its current form. I just don’t think the technology is ready for our game.”

“I have nothing against goal-line technology. It’s a no-brainer and it works for our game.

“Our game is unique. People say, ‘Let’s make the referees explain their decisions.’ Oh my God, really? Can you imagine sitting there listening to a referee explain every decision in the game?

“I’m going to the field on Sunday. I love football. But it’s three and a half hours. The measure of who was a good referee was those that you never noticed and now we’re trying to make them the stars of the show.

“We are analyzing, in slow motion, the yellow cards. We, as coaches and players, are the worst because we talk about integrity, but I bet if you watch a game tonight, the first throw-in, both teams will appeal.” We are trying to take advantage of it and there is nothing wrong with that.

“With VAR, the more we use it, the worse it will get. Clear and obvious error? It seems like everything is being scrutinized.

“It’s not our game. We’re not rugby, we don’t have those stoppages. What I always liked about our game, especially in England, was the frenetic pace. Why are we trying to eliminate that? None of us liked it. I noticed it when They were taking too long to make a decision and last week it seemed like they were rushing. Maybe that’s a consequence.

“That suggests to me that the technology in its current form is not suitable for our game, but I know I will be in the minority with that.”

He added: “I don’t know what the game will be like in 20 years and I’m not sure I’ll like it.”

Ange: Klopp was wrong to suggest replay

On Wednesday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp suggested the match against Tottenham should be replayed after Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed by the video assistant referee.

But Postecoglou disagrees with the German’s calls for a replay.

Postecoglou said: “There has to be some kind of threshold and I don’t think one mistake is the threshold for that.

“If we veer toward integrity or misappropriation of the law, then maybe there’s something there, but ultimately, when you take it all away, it was a mistake.

“It was unique and unprecedented, but it was still a mistake.

“If the threshold for a repeat is individual errors, then I think it’s 365 games a year.”

Sky Sports News understands that any request from Liverpool to replay the match would be rejected.

Postecoglou: Spurs unlikely to let Liverpool score after VAR error

Postecoglou also said it is unlikely he would have allowed Liverpool to score after Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed against him.

Asked if he would have let Liverpool score if the referees had given him the chance, Postecoglou said: “I just don’t see that.

“If we want managers to be the arbiters of this sort of thing… we have quite important responsibilities in our football clubs, but we are not the custodians.

“I wouldn’t make a decision that could potentially bring down a club based on my beliefs.

“At that moment, if someone could tell me that they could explain everything that happened within the prism of 30 seconds… I have to make a decision and it wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s different if it’s something clear. It was a serious mistake due to miscommunication, but it wasn’t something that was easily explainable. If it was easily explainable, I would assume there would have been more of an uproar than there was.”