VAR HAS BECOME a rare unifying force in football. Ange Postecoglou, the Spurs boss, said after last night’s mind-boggling match against Chelsea that he is “in the wilderness” in his dislike of standing around waiting for decisions – but he knows well that his view is shared widely.
There is much to be gained from being a football fan, from a chance to see something magnificent on a given day to a sense of camaraderie and belonging you get with following your team. Yet we all have one thing: the release that comes when the ball crosses the line, those fleeting moments when troubles are replaced with euphoria. Every one of us can lose ourselves in the everyday majesty of a goal.
Postecoglou said last night that during his 26-year career as a manager he has always been willing to accept the referee’s decision “good, bad or otherwise, and I’ve had some shockers in my career. I’ve had some go my way as well”. Alamy Stock Photo Son celebrates scoring Spurs' second goal of the game before a VAR check disallows it for offside. Alamy Stock Photo
There have been many high-profile VAR failures, Manchester United’s André Onana wiping out Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic at Old Trafford in August, and the Luis Diaz fiasco at Tottenham last month, come to mind straight away. But the system does work a great deal of the time, even if the wait time and inconsistency are maddening.