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Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards believes unconscious bias within football has been made worse by VAR, pointing to the decision not to award a penalty for Wolves at Manchester United earlier this season as evidence.
Audio from the discussions by the video assistant referee have been released this week, giving an insight into how decisions are taken at Stockley Park.
Edwards told the Football Daily podcast he felt United would have been awarded the penalty had it happened at the other end.
“That is the acid test for me,” said Edwards. “Would United have been given that penalty? I am 95 per cent sure they would have.
“People scream when I talk about unconscious bias but it is human nature and the technology has made it worse.
“When you listen to it, you think VAR will give the penalty or at the very least get the referee to look at it. Then there’s a pause and they do not. It’s startling.
“It just shows that the more someone looks at an incident, the more time they have to think about whether they are going to award a late penalty to the away team at Old Trafford, the more unconscious bias can play a part.”
Aston Villa defender Rachel Corsie took a different approach, arguing that the subjective nature of the rules is to blame for inconsistencies in officiating.
“The rules are a can of worms,” she said. “I would not feel comfortable trying to explain these as they are so subjective and that reflects how tricky these rules have become.”
Listen to more discussion on the incident from 09’50 on BBC Sounds
