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      Does the FA Cup have VAR this season?

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      NEWCASTLE fans were left feeling aggrieved after Alexander Isak was hauled down by Daniel Ballard in the first half of the huge FA Cup derby with bitter rivals Sunderland.The striker, was racing towards goal with the Black Cats defender on his shoulder and hit the deck.
      Daniel Ballard’s challenge on Alexander Isak was NOT checked by VAR at the Stadium of LightCredit: PA
      The challenge was very 50/50 over whether or not it was a foul or within the laws of the game.
      Had it been in the Premier League the decision would have no doubt been reviewed by the VARs at Stockley Park.
      But at the Stadium of Light, the on-field decision – no foul – stood and the game continued.
      Does the FA Cup have VAR this season?
      The lack of a video replay saw confusion among those watching the game.
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      This is further confused by the answer to the above question – as the technology IS being used in the FA Cup this season… but only in select grounds.
      The problem is Sunderland, and all other clubs that are not in the Premier League, are NOT licensed to use VAR.
      Only grounds that are in England’s top flight are licensed to use the technology, with infrastructure and staffing costs cited as the main issue for rolling it out in other grounds around the country.
      VAR intervened to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent off at Crystal PalaceCredit: Getty
      That means that while the huge derby between Sunderland and Newcastle did not have the technology, Sunday’s mega-clash between Arsenal and Liverpool WILL have the technology.
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      Any FA Cup tie played at a Premier League home ground will use the technology, leading many to complain about its unfairness.
      Last year, the FA responded to such claims, stating: “Video assistant referees provide match officials with additional support and should be utilised wherever possible.
      “However, only Premier League stadiums are currently licensed to use VAR due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required.”
      The much-derided technology has already sent waves through the competition this season after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was controversially sent off against Crystal Palace in the first tie of round three.
      There is similar confusion in the Carabao Cup, where VAR is not used in early rounds but then introduced for the semi-finals and finals. More

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      Dave Kidd: VAR does NOT need to be reformed, it should be SCRAPPED… and Calvert-Lewin red was the breaking point

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      DCL, VAR, WTF! Sometimes one single incident is so absurd that it has the capacity to bring down an entire house of cards.And when Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was handed a straight red card in Thursday’s FA Cup third-round clash with Crystal Palace, VAR might just have reached its breaking point.
      Dominic Calvert-Lewin was sent off by VAR for this challenge on ThursdayCredit: Getty
      Referee Chris Kavanagh was showed slow-motion footage when called over the the VAR screenCredit: AFP
      Calvert-Lewin executed an excellent tackle on Palace’s Nathaniel Clyne, top-flight referee Chris Kavanagh correctly judged that the challenge was not even a foul and yet, 30 seconds later, he was sent to his monitor and advised to dismiss the England forward.
      There was no ‘excessive force’ in the challenge, Calvert-Lewin was not ‘endangering an opponent’ and he actually won the ball with a neat piece of skill close to the Palace box.
      Yet not just one but TWO Premier League referees, in the VAR hub at Stockley Park, decided Kavanagh had made a ‘clear and obvious error’.
      Then the on-field ref — provoked by slow-motion replays — failed to trust his own judgment and refused to uphold his original decision.
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      To add to this farce, VAR is in operation for FA Cup matches played at Premier League stadiums and not for those hosted by EFL clubs.
      Yet for those games staged at top-flight clubs, such as Palace, ‘support VARs’ have also been appointed, meaning VAR Craig Pawson was assisted by Michael Salisbury.
      This undermines the often-stated lie by VAR cheerleaders that ‘it is not the technology but the personnel’ which is to blame for the system’s disastrous application.
      Because the fact is that the more human beings that are involved in any decision, the greater the capacity for human error.
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      VAR must now be scrapped, says Dave KiddCredit: Reuters

      Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many referees spoil a football match. Now Palace v Everton was a stinker, which ended 0-0 despite Sean Dyche’s side being reduced to ten men.
      And presumably Calvert-Lewin’s three-match ban for a straight red will be rescinded on appeal.
      But while minimal harm was done, this was the clearest possible case of VAR not just failing to improve decision-making but making it actively worse.
      The Luis Diaz offside decision which sentenced Liverpool to their only Premier League defeat of the season at Tottenham in October was more damaging and more ridiculous.
      Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many referees spoil a football match. Dave Kidd
      But that was a catastrophic one-off failure of process from VAR Darren England, which led to an incorrect on-field decision being upheld.
      The Calvert-Lewin incident was a glaring example of how slow-motion replays persuade highly experienced referees to disbelieve their own eyes.
      And of how the procedure of a VAR sending a referee to his monitor is a charade, given that 99 per cent of the time, this leads to an on-field official overturning his decision.
      Perhaps the Calvert-Lewin incident will lessen, or even end, the use of slo-mo replays.
      But what we really need is for pundits and prominent journalists to stop parroting the phrase ‘VAR will never be scrapped’.
      These are invariably people who never pay to attend matches and fail to fully comprehend how VAR interferes with the joyful spontaneity of football — a sport in which so many refereeing decisions are subjective, meaning the idea of absolute justice will always be impossible.
      Why can’t VAR be scrapped?
      And how is it helpful to keep saying ‘VAR will never be scrapped’, when most people want it scrapped and it absolutely could be scrapped.
      Arguing against technology does not automatically make you a member of the Flat Earth Society howling at the moon.Dave Kidd
      This is an extension of a dangerous ‘computer says no’ culture.
      Just watch ITV1’s brilliant drama Mr Bates v The Post Office to understand the extraordinary scale of human misery caused by a faulty computer system — and by the inability of apparently sensible people to believe that technology can possibly be wrong.
      Likewise, try to get some common sense out of Barclays Bank over their draconian mortgage policies.
      Organisations like the Post Office and Barclays destroy people’s lives by following a ‘computer says no’ mantra.
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      VAR only destroys football matches. But the principle is the same.
      Until we realise that arguing against technology does not automatically make you a member of the Flat Earth Society howling at the moon, then we will never reach the blindingly obvious conclusion that VAR does not need to be reformed, it must be scrapped. More

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      Sean Dyche loses it during press conference and breaks down what is wrong with VAR after shocking Calvert-Lewin red card

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      SEAN DYCHE admitted VAR is beginning to “test his patience” as he raged at referees consulting the pitchside monitor before making decisions.Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was controversially sent off during the Toffees’ goalless draw with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Thursday night.
      Sean Dyche raged at VAR during his post-match press conference on ThursdayCredit: BBC SPORT
      He does not understand decisions being made by officialsCredit: BBC SPORT
      Dominic Calvert-Lewin was sent off for this tackle during Everton’s draw with Crystal PalaceCredit: Getty
      The attacker, 26, appeared to beat Nathaniel Clyne to the ball and cleanly bring it away with a sliding challenge.
      But referee Chris Kavanagh was instructed to go to the monitor on the touchline, before he then dismissed Calvert-Lewin after watching several replays.
      And Dyche was critical of referees having to go to the monitor as it almost always leads to the official changing their original decision.
      Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Everton boss said: “I have no clue what that’s there for.
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      “I hope I’m not just speaking for myself but every fan must go, ‘what is the point?’, because we all know the outcome which is that they agree with everything that they’re told, unless someone can tell me 10 incidents that aren’t.
      “I don’t know what the stats are but the chances of something getting turned over are minuscule, so don’t bother.
      “Let’s just get on with it, afterwards we might debate it but what’s the point in doing it there and then unless you change it?
      “We’ve had all sorts already by the way. VAR moments where you go, ‘how is that?’ You explain it afterwards but where does it live?
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      “(Anthony) Martial at home to us, a penalty, you can clearly see his legs collapsing before there is any contact but then they go ‘yeah, but there was a contact’. If you slow down everything, you’re going to find what you’re looking for.
      “I’m a fan of VAR but I just don’t get all this delaying and looking at the screen for a minuscule chance they’ll turn it over.”
      Dyche also went on to question who is in charge of any single game given both the on-field referee and the VAR are consulting one another about various calls.
      He added: “VAR seems a bit confused at the moment.
      “We’re unsure, we’ve had a number this season where I don’t know who is refereeing and while I am a fan, I think it needs tidying up and for whatever reason I thought it was getting tidied up but it seems to have stepped back a little bit.
      “I remain a fan at this stage but it is beginning to test my patience. Apart from the offsides that are obvious, what’s got a chance now of being let play and what’s got a chance of getting called back? We don’t actually know.
      “We just keep our fingers crossed and hope that we get on the right side of it and we generally haven’t.”
      Dyche refused to confirm one way or another whether Everton will appeal the Calvert-Lewin sending off.
      If the decision is upheld, he will miss the replay with Palace at Goodison Park, along with Premier League games against Aston Villa and Fulham.
      Dyche said: “We’ll wait and see. I’ll double-check the process but in the end it’s one of those risk and reward things, is it worth it or not worth it?
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      “I don’t think anyone even knows what’s going to happen with these decisions now. Certainly tonight it was one where I didn’t know and then after seeing it I went, ‘where does that live?’
      “We’ll see, we’ll analyse it and get an outside view and then we’ll decide.” More

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      Premier League table without VAR revealed with Aston Villa top and Chelsea SIX points worse off

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      ASTON VILLA’S unlikely title charge would have been even MORE serious without VAR.A SunSport study of the 54 decisions altered after VAR interventions so far this season shows how Unai Emery’s men, currently second in the Prem table, would be TOP of the table if the Stockley Park video booth did not exist.
      Aston Villa’s title charge would be even stronger without VARCredit: Getty
      Our “No VAR” table shows how the standings would have looked if every changed decision had remained as it was called on the field by the referee and his assistants.
      Given that 15 of the 16 penalties awarded by VAR have been converted, we have also assumed that the five spots kicks initially awarded but then wiped after video intervention would also have been scored.
      While Villa have had three changed decisions in their favour and four against, two of those decisions cost them points.
      Drawing the lines saw Lucas Digne deemed offside before Diego Carlos “scored” in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, while Leon Bailey’s strike was controversially overturned for a foul on Sheffield United keeper Wes Foderingham in last month’s surprise 1-1 draw.
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      With both those goals counting, Villa would be on 46 points, up four on their current tally, and heading Liverpool by a point.
      The “No VAR” table has Arsenal and Spurs both on 41 points – with Mikel Arteta’s side one point better off and Ange Postecoglou’s outfit up two although Manchester City would leapfrog the pair if they win their game in hand.

      But the biggest winners if the technology had not been in place would have been Brighton – while Chelsea’s dismal season would have looked even worse.
      Roberto di Zerbi’s Seagulls would be on 36 points – five points and one place higher in the table.
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      Chelsea would be even more worse off without VAR
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      Chelsea, though, would be SIX points worse off and stand in 12th place, just six points away from the drop zone and 24 points adrift of the pace-setters.
      So far 24 goals have been disallowed and only two awarded after video review, while eight players have been dismissed after VAR intervention.
      Unsurprisingly, Chelsea have had the most VAR changes so far, with seven in their favour and five against. Luton have seen just two VAR overturns, one for and one against.
      Nottingham Forest have been the biggest beneficiaries in terms of decisions, with five changes in their favour and just one against, although the match situation and final outcomes mean they would only be one point worse off without VAR.
      Manchester City and Fulham are plus-three in VAR changes, with Brentford joining Chelsea with a plus-two tally.
      Liverpool, who have been involved in a number of controversial incidents including the wrongly-disallowed Luis Diaz goal at Spurs and Diogo Jota’s penalty-winning tumble against Newcastle on Monday, stand alone on minus-three VAR changes, with three in their favour and six against.
      Those interventions, though, would have made no net change to their points tally, although they would have scored two goals more and conceded the same number over the season to date.
      At the other end of the table, the relegation places would be the same but Luton would only be behind Everton – deducted 10 points for financial fair play breaches – on goal difference and Burnley would be two points better off.
      Nottingham Forest would have the biggest goal swing without VAR More

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      Premier League hope to bring in new technology – but it is unlikely to stop repeat of freak goal Arsenal conceded

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      THE Premier League hope to bring in new technology next season — but it is unlikely to stop a repeat of Arsenal’s two line-call controversies.Gunners manager Mikel Arteta demanded a better VAR system as his side were hit by another millimetre ruling in the 2-0 home defeat by West Ham on Thursday night.
      The Premier League hopes to bring in new technology after West Ham’s controversial goalCredit: Getty
      Tomas Soucek’s opener stood after a delay of three minutes and 22 seconds as there was no technology available to conclusively rule if the ball was out of play when Jarrod Bowen crossed.
      Arsenal were also on the wrong end of a similar call at Newcastle last month which left  Arteta labelling VAR “embarrassing” and “a disgrace”, leading to an FA charge that was later dismissed.
      The Premier League are looking at introducing robot linesmen next term and are trialling different semi-automated systems which will reduce the time of offside VAR decisions and remove the need for humans to draw lines.
      PGMOL chief Howard Webb recently stated the trials will be run for the rest of the season, with plans presented to the 20 clubs in the summer.
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      The technology uses 12 dedicated tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position.
      While there is already goal-line technology, it is  more complicated to have a similar system  along the lines of the entire pitch to avoid a repeat of Arsenal’s two incidents.
      Even so, the Premier League are not ruling out the possibility and will continue to explore all options to avoid high-profile flashpoints.
      Yet like the game at Newcastle, when VAR was unable to rule conclusively whether Chris Willock had not kept the ball in play, the goal involving Bowen was seen as a freak.
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      This was because the West Ham forward’s body, along with a post of the goal, were blocking clear views of the cameras.
      The Fifa system — developed by Munich-based Kinexon — uses a full version which includes a microchip in the ball.
      But it was only designed to work only with an Adidas ball, while the Prem has a long-term Nike deal.
      Mikel Arteta was left enraged by the decision to award the goalCredit: AFP More

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      Fans say Gary Neville is ‘back to rattle Arsenal’ after Man Utd legend’s cheeky post following West Ham VAR controversy

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      GARY NEVILLE rubbed salt into Arsenal fans’ wounds with a cheeky post after their title hopes were dented.The Gunners suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to West Ham last night.
      West Ham’s goal stood as camera angles could not prove if the ball went outCredit: Amazon Prime
      Arsenal were on the end of a similar decision in their loss to NewcastleCredit: Sky Sports
      Tomas Soucek opened the scoring for the Hammers – but his goal was not without VAR controversy.
      The ball may have gone out of play before Jarrod Bowen squared it to the Czech midfielder.
      But officials did not disallow it as they could not find a conclusive angle to show the ball went over the line.
      It brought back nightmares of Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in November when again refs were unable to prove the ball was off the pitch in the build-up to Anthony Gordon’s goal.
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      Neville became unpopular with Gunners supporters after winding them up following the Toon defeat.
      And he was back at it again last night as he tweeted a picture of him standing by a ball on the line.
      It wound up plenty of Arsenal fans as one commented: “You were the worst full-back in the Premier League.”
      Neville responded: “Agreed but great at goal line technology.”
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      Neville posted this picture online to ‘rattle’ Gunners supportersCredit: Sky Sports
      Meanwhile, other supporters laughed: “Gary’s actually rattled everyone.”
      More added: “Hahahahah Gary, proper wind up.”
      A third said: “He knows what he’s doing here.”
      Neville did later tweet: “On a positive note for Arsenal the front three are playing narrower and closer to each other to combine. They look dangerous.” More

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      Thierry Henry calls for major change to football as Arsenal hit by big VAR controversy in West Ham clash

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      THIERRY HENRY has called for more cameras to be introduced to football after West Ham scored a controversial goal against Arsenal.Tomas Soucek smashed home from Jarrod Bowen’s pull back, who narrowly kept the ball in according to referee Michael Oliver.
      Jarrod Bowen was judged to have kept the ball in by the slimmest of marginsCredit: Amazon Prime
      Thierry Henry has called for more cameras to be introduced to help officialsCredit: Getty

      VAR reviewed the incident for three minutes and 22 seconds but could not determine for certain whether the ball had gone out of play.
      Bowen’s body blocked the view from the main camera angle, with a camera on the opposite side of the pitch also unable to show a definitive perspective.
      VAR had no option but to instruct Oliver to stick with his on-pitch decision, and Henry accepted the officials were helpless.
      However he believes there is a solution to the issue – more cameras.
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      The Gunners legend claims another camera offering a bird’s eye view would have allowed the VAR to check whether the ball had left the pitch.
      Henry, speaking on Amazon Prime at half-time of West Ham’s 2-0 win over Arsenal, said: “Well that is the second time for us, Newcastle away. But if you want to help the referees to have the right angle, if you want to know the ball is out you have to be above the ball.
      “That is the only way you can know if the ball is out or not.
      “We are in 2023 soon 2024 and we still don’t have a camera that is above, it’s too many times where you don’t know if the ball is out or not.
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      “So can we have a camera that can be above that can see if the ball is out or not, if not it is just impossible to see it.”
      Arsenal conceded a similar goal in their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle earlier this season after Joe Willock kept the ball in by the slimmest of margins.
      To the naked eye the ball appeared to be out so plenty of Gooners were left fuming by the decision to allow the goal to stand.
      Mikel Arteta also complained after the match and Arsenal even wrote an open letter calling on the PGMOL to “address the standard of officiating”. More

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      Arsenal furious after being hit by same VAR controversy against West Ham that sparked Arteta meltdown in Newcastle clash

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      ARSENAL have been left fuming after Tomas Soucek scored a controversial goal during West Ham’s 2-0 win.The goal was reviewed by VAR for three minutes and 22 seconds as officials checked if the ball had gone out of play before Jarrod Bowen passed to Soucek to score.
      VAR checked if the ball went out of play before Jarrod Bowen’s passCredit: Amazon Prime
      Replays could not determine the ball was out so the goal was allowed to stand
      Arsenal suffered a similar fate at Newcastle earlier this season

      Replays could not show definitive proof as Bowen’s body blocked the ball from the main camera angle.
      The camera from the opposite side of the pitch was also unhelpful and that meant VAR told the referee to stick with his on-pitch decision, which was a goal.
      Arsenal suffered a similar fate in their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle earlier this season.
      On that occasion Joe Willock was judged to have kept the ball in play by a matter of inches, with Anthony Gordon eventually bundling in his cross.
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      The incident sparked a meltdown from Mikel Arteta who brandished the officials “embarrassing” for allowing the goal to stand.
      Arsenal published a letter after the match calling on the PGMOL to “address the standard of officiating”.
      Gunners fans are fuming again with some claiming they have been “robbed” by VAR.
      One Gooner said: “VAR hates Arsenal. Clearly out. Happened twice this season.”
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      Mikel Arteta fumed over a similar incident at Newcastle earlier this seasonCredit: Getty
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      Another added: “The ball was out, it was completely past the post, VAR then moved it a frame forward when it was back in play. Scandalous!”
      A third wrote: “Same mistake VAR made against Newcastle. Then what is the use of VAR for crying out loud. Ball out of play 😡”
      Arteta’s remarks after the Newcastle match were investigated by the FA and the Spaniard could have been hit with a two-match ban.
      But he escaped punishment after it was found he used the Spanish word “desgracia”, which means “misfortune”, in his post-match press conference, rather than “disgrace”.
      PGMOL chief Howard Webb later admitted the officials got two decisions wrong in the match – but neither related to Toon’s winner.
      Arsenal fans complained Joelinton had pushed Gabriel moments after the ball was kept in play, but Webb only suggested referee Stuart Attwell was wrong in his decision not to red card Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes.
      At half-time during the West Ham game Gunners legend Thierry Henry called for more cameras to be introduced which would have given a birds-eye view of the incident.
      He said: “Well that is the second time for us, Newcastle away. But if you want to help the referees to have the right angle, if you want to know the ball is out you have to be above the ball.
      “That is the only way you can know if the ball is out or not.
      “We are in 2023 soon 2024 and we still don’t have a camera that is above, it’s too many times where you don’t know if the ball is out or not.
      “So can we have a camera that can be above that can see if the ball is out or not, if not it is just impossible to see it.”
      Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg insisted the goal had to stand as officials could not prove the ball went out.
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      He said: “There’s no other decision the officials can give.
      “The on-field decision is a goal. We cannot be 100 per cent certain that the ball has gone out. As the ball has to be clearly over the line, there’s no conclusive evidence.” More