Mauricio Pochettino insists Premier League should delay the introduction of VAR
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino insists that the VAR technology needs more work and Premier League should delay the introduction of this technology to the league. However, Spurs already benefitted from VAR technology as they got the winning penalty against Chelsea in the semifinal first-leg of the Carabao Cup.
Even after securing the first-leg victory against the Blues, Spurs will be clearly in trouble while they will face Chelsea in the second-leg at Stamford Bridge tonight as they will miss both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. However, the 1-0 lead from the earlier encounter could be the winning factor for the Spurs.
Important information for fans attending tomorrow's @Carabao_Cup tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 23, 2019
While talking about the VAR technology, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said “It is a good idea to delay [VAR’s introduction to the Premier League] because if we don’t have all the information or don’t know how it will work or how we can better develop the system, it is better to stop for one year or more.”
He added “Nobody in Europe is happy with VAR and what worries me is that there is going to be a situation where football starts to annoy the fans. If you stop for five minutes for a decision, I don’t know how they are going to behave.” He then said “Goal-line technology is the best but, after that, it is about how the referee perceives things. The emotion is not going to be there, the feelings and the tension.”
The Spurs manager said “Technically it is a handball but we know very well when it is intentional and only the referee and the players around can decide that. On the video, you cannot perceive that,” and added “That’s because the game in England is more dynamic. If you compare to Spain or Italy, the ball is in play more in England. Fans in this country are used to play, transition, corner, goal, boom. It is more instant.”
He said “In the Rochdale replay there was an incident in the first half that took forever to decide. There were 10,000 less fans after half-time. That situation was difficult to accept and I’m not sure if you get a benefit. Those who are pro‑VAR say the technology will help but football is also about mistakes – players, managers and referees,” and added “I am telling the people responsible that we need information [on why and when VAR should be used] because if we don’t know, it is going to be a big problem.”
