England manager Gareth Southgate has weighed in on the swirling debate around VAR which stemmed from Liverpool’s controversial 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, admitting that he’s never been a fan of the technology
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Football Digest: Maguire gets Southgate’s support amid Man Utd woes
Gareth Southgate wants to see VAR scrapped.
Southgate admits he has never been a fan of video technology and this week’s controversy surrounding Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongly disallowed has only reinforced his view. England boss Southgate said: “I don’t like it. It was never going to resolve every issue and I don’t think there is any solution that will achieve that.
”I was always brought up as a kid that the referee’s decision was final. You might agree or disagree but we have to get on with it. I didn’t ever feel we were going to resolve every issue. You are talking about the most recent high profile case but usually you’re still talking about a judgement call of some type like a handball or a foul.
”When I am at games I am always conscious that the only people who don’t know what is going on are the people who have paid to go. I find that really difficult. I am sitting in the stadium next to people and I am lucky as I normally get a free ticket and other people pay a lot of money and haven’t got a clue or are on the phone to someone at home asking what’s going on.
”Everybody used to go to the pub and moan about the ref and they still go to the pub and moan about the ref. So I’m not sure what we’ve resolved, really.
“Look, I am sure we are unlikely to go back now. Once you open up a technology opportunity, you are normally going that way and you have got to refine and improve on what happens. But yes, I don’t like it.”
A debate has ensued following Liverpool’s wrongly disallowed goal against Tottenham (
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Getty Images)
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has called for his team’s defeat to Tottenham to be replayed but the Premier League have made it clear that cannot and will not happen. “The audio didn’t change it at all because I was not really interested in why things happen,” Klopp said ahead of his side’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday.
“I saw the outcome, I saw a goal, and I saw it didn’t count. It’s really important that we deal with it in a proper way. The only outcome should be a replay…probably won’t happen. The argument against that will be if we open that gate everyone will ask for it. I think the situation is unprecedented.
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“I’m 56 years old and I’m absolutely used to wrong decisions. But something like that as far as I can remember has never happened. That’s why it should be a replay.”
Southgate will be hoping to avoid any further VAR controversy when England continue their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign over the next fortnight, having named his 26-man squad on Thursday. The Three Lions firstly host Australia in a friendly at Wembley next Friday before welcoming Group C rivals Italy five days later ,with the chance to secure their place at next summer’s tournament in Germany.
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