Sheffield United fans left furious by VAR once more after delayed inspections come back to haunt their side against Fulham.
He declined the invitation to give his honest opinion on the refereeing performance during Sheffield United’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Fulham, but when the opportunity arose to discuss VAR and the major issue it poses to English football at the moment, manager Chris Wilder couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Not long ago, the game was stretched by about 15 minutes due to two lengthy checks, giving Fulham the time and energy they needed to equalise and even push for a miraculous win.
One of the checks, after Oli McBurnie’s second “goal” that would have put United 4-1 up and out of sight, was technically justified when Vini Souza was discovered to have touched the ball after returning from an offside position, but the other, after Ben Brereton Diaz scored his second, was bizarre. Nobody in the stadium – players, media, or, more significantly, fans who had paid a lot of money to be in the stands – knew what was being looked for following a goalmouth skirmish.
There was a brief melee, followed by celebrations and players returning to their positions before to kickoff before anyone inside Bramall Lane was even informed of a VAR check, which subsequently cleared anyone of any violent conduct. With a lengthy halt when Ollie Arblaster went down, plus five goals and five sets of subs totaling five minutes, the lengthy checks resulted in another extraordinary amount of added time, which generated considerable frustration amongst home supporters.
While the powers-that-be rely on statistics to determine the number of accurate decisions, the intangible, the enjoyment of the game for those who pay their money at the turnstiles, is at stake here. To be completely honest, I was generally supportive of VAR from the start, although I have previously raised concerns about the time it takes to make decisions and how they are delivered. The obvious solution appears to be a time restriction; if VARs cannot reach a conclusion in, say, two minutes, the on-field decision remains.
Boss Wilder expressed frustration in the aftermath of Saturday. “I’m the same,” he said when asked if he felt the inspections were taking too long. “I’ve played, coached, and managed, and I’ve always been a fan, so I understand what you’re thinking about – how long it takes.
