Tottenham v Arsenal controversy sees VAR slammed amid Everton, Nottingham Forest comparison
Paul Robinson has slammed VAR technology after Tottenham were not awarded a penalty against Arsenal by referee Michael Oliver on Sunday (28 April).
Dejan Kulusevski seemed to be tripped in the penalty area, which was not deemed enough for a penalty by referee Michael Oliver before Bukayo Saka doubled the Gunners’ lead.
Ange Postecoglou’s side would eventually face a 3-2 defeat in the North London derby, despite a late comeback with goals from Cristian Romero and Son Heung-Min.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Robinson said: “We’re getting tired of talking about VAR again, aren’t we? It’s not the technology, it’s the way it’s implicated.
“The problem is the inconsistency with it – what gets reviewed at one ground, on the same day at the same time, does not even get looked at at another ground. There’s so much opinion in there. VAR was brought in to take opinion out of situations and that’s what it should be used for. Let the referee on the pitch referee, and use VAR for offside decisions.
“Even though the [Micky] van de Ven one was a tough one, next season we’re going to see the introduction of semi-automated offsides which I don’t mind – it’s black or white.
“I just think that, with the Everton v Nottingham Forest game, the three penalties that Forest wrongly tweeted about but potentially could have had, it’s just the inconsistencies.
“Going back to the original question, some people will think it was a penalty, others will not. That’s the problem with VAR because the referee might not think it’s a penalty while the VAR might not. It’s two people with different opinions trying to come to an agreement.
“I think we’re going down a very dark hole with VAR at the moment and I can’t see any way out of it.”
VAR takes centre stage in Tottenham v Arsenal
Of course, Ange Postecoglou cannot hide behind the controversies surrounding VAR after his side went 3-0 down before half-time, but it certainly did not help Spurs.
The technology, which is supposed to aid referees, has been in the limelight far too often this season and the situation involving Kulusevski against Arsenal is just the tip of the iceberg.
As Robinson says, some will argue that Tottenham should have been awarded a penalty while others will deem it too soft, suggesting that the opinion side of VAR will never go away.
Were Spurs awarded a penalty for the trip on Kulusevski at 1-0 down, the North London derby could have definitely ended in a much more positive manner for the home side.
In other Tottenham news, King has called for VAR to be scrapped after what happened against Arsenal.
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