FORMER Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has expressed concern that VAR is taking up too much time during games.
The Premier League match between Tottenham and Chelsea on Monday was interrupted by VAR several times, leaving some fans furious.
In the first half alone there were four disallowed goals, three red card checks and two penalty checks.
Chelsea had another goal disallowed in the second half, but they went on to win the match 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty.
Blues fan Merson was thrilled with the result, but in his column for Sky Sports he complained that VAR took too long to come to a final decision on a number of calls.
He wrote: “Every decision in that game could have been sorted in 10 seconds.
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“Former Premier League referee Mike Dean was on Soccer Saturday last week and he said something that worried me immensely.
“He said it doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as we get the right decision. Even when it’s so obvious they’re going to check a hundred times.
“They’ve got to be a lot quicker. They’re so nervous now about getting it wrong that it’s becoming a bit too much.
“These ones were pretty obvious. If someone else is up there, they’re getting it right in seconds.
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“Gary Neville on commentary called every one of them straight away.”
Premier League officials have come under fire on several occasions this season for various controversial decisions.
The most significant call occurred during Tottenham’s match against Liverpool in September.
VAR wrongfully ruled out Liverpool’s opening goal after Luis Diaz was adjudged to be offside when he wasn’t.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
