Wayne Rooney Critiques VAR Dependence Amid Controversial FA Cup Decisions

omidbasir- Wayne Rooney has expressed his belief that the recent FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle highlighted an excessive dependence on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The officiating team, comprising referee Chris Kavanagh and assistants Gary Beswick and Nick Greenhalgh, faced criticism for their handling of the match at Villa Park. Key errors included failing to identify Tammy Abraham’s offside position that led to Villa’s opening goal, overlooking a potentially red-card offense by Villa’s Lucas Digne against Jacob Murphy of Newcastle, and erroneously awarding a free-kick for handball by Digne, which occurred inside the penalty area.

Rooney labeled the handball decision as “one of the worst he had ever seen” during his analysis for the BBC broadcast of the match. In a subsequent episode of the Wayne Rooney Show podcast, he elaborated, stating, “I think there’s an over-reliance on VAR. Unfortunately, officials have grown accustomed to this assistance, which, at times, has alleviated their responsibilities. When VAR is unavailable, they must rely on their judgment, which may not be as sharp due to their habit of keeping flags down.”

He emphasized that officiating is an inherently challenging job and that referees require support. Rooney compared the handball error to notorious incidents where clear goals were not awarded, such as Frank Lampard’s and Pedro Mendes’ disallowed goals in 2010 and 2005 respectively.

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott, a guest on the podcast, countered Rooney’s assertion by defending the integrity of referees. “These officials are not hiding behind VAR; it’s not in their mindset or processes,” he stated. Scott, who has experienced officiating with and without VAR, noted that the core processes remain consistent regardless of the technology’s presence.

Additionally, Sunderland coach Regis Le Bris mentioned that Kavanagh had acknowledged a mistake in not awarding a penalty to Sunderland during a recent match against Liverpool. The officiating team is expected to find out at 4 PM on Monday if they will be assigned to Premier League matches that weekend.

As VAR is set to be implemented in the FA Cup from the fifth round onwards, Newcastle’s manager Eddie Howe remarked on the potential impact of VAR on decision-making, suggesting it could make referees less decisive.

In the Premier League, referees are encouraged to trust their on-field judgments. The league currently has the lowest VAR intervention rate among major European competitions and operates on the principle that a referee’s decision should stand unless a subjective call is evidently incorrect.