Peter Coates has become the latest Premier League chairman to express reservations about the use of VAR before next month’s vote, when the 20 top-flight clubs will decide whether video technology should be introduced from the start of next season.
The Stoke chairman told the Guardian how he was initially in favour of the Premier League embracing VAR but admitted he had become “less and less enamoured” of the idea because he “didn’t realise how poorly it is actually operated in practice”.
Controversy has raged because of the stir created following the use of VAR in domestic cup competitions this season, with Wednesday night’s game between Tottenham Hotspur and Rochdale at Wembley being a case in point. The delay between an incident being reviewed and a decision being reached has been widely criticised, and the lack of communication to supporters inside the stadium has emerged as another major issue, raising the question of whether there will be enough support among Premier League clubs – 14 votes are required – for VAR to be implemented in the top flight from August.
Quick guide
VAR milestones and controversies
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Brighton 2-1 Crystal Palace, FA Cup , 8 January 2018
The first competitive game in England where the VAR technology was available. The system was not called upon despite suspicions of handball in Glenn Murray’s late winner.
Leicester 2-0 Fleetwood, FA Cup, 16 January
Leicester became the first team in English football to score via a VAR decision. Kelechi Iheanacho netted in the 77th minute but the referee asked to check if the forward was offside. Replays showed he was not and the strike stood.
Chelsea 1-1 Norwich (Chelsea 5-3 pens), FA Cup, 17 January
Willian was clearly clipped by Timm Klose in extra-time, although the referee might have decided the Chelsea forward was already going to ground. Despite the VAR official watching a number of replays, no penalty was given.
Liverpool 2-3 West Brom, FA Cup, 27 January
A match littered with VAR referrals that confused players and fans. Three first-half incidents required intervention – including the first time a match referee has used a pitchside television replay. The correct decisions were made but it took almost four minutes between Mohamed Salah being fouled and a penalty being awarded.
Tottenham 6-1 Rochdale, FA Cup replay, 28 February
Erik Lamela thought he had put Tottenham ahead only for the VAR to controversially rule it out. Lucas Moura was then felled in the area, with no penalty the eventual – but far from definitive – decision, before Spurs were awarded a spot-kick when Kieran Trippier was held back. To add to the tone of slapstick Son Heung-min, having paused during his run-up, had his successful penalty disallowed – again by the VAR.
Asked where he stands when it comes to the vote, Coates said: “I’d like to discuss it with the football people [at the club] and also people like John [Coates, the vice-chairman] and Tony Scholes [the chief executive]. But I have to say that I’ve been going off it.
“When we were discussing it at Premier League level, my opinion was ‘yes’, provided it was limited to certain key areas and that’s all. But I didn’t realise – well, so far, to me – how poorly it is actually operated in practice. I’m completely against this long delay. That’s not how we thought it would work. We thought there would be hardly any delay.
“I don’t want to go down the rugby route – that’s a nightmare. Football’s a fast-flowing game … I don’t want too much interruption. I also think controversy is part of the game, it always will be and it will be with this system. But the little interface we’ve had with it since it’s come in, I’ve become less and less enamoured.”
Coates’s comments come on the back of Steve Parish, the Crystal Palace chairman, publicly declaring that he is against the introduction of VAR in the Premier League. Alluding to the stoppages in play in particular, Parish said that he believed football was “going down an incredibly dangerous road” by using video technology for so many decisions.