'Football is not rugby' — Tottenham coach slams VAR use
i

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou || Image credit: Imago

'Football is not rugby' — Tottenham coach slams VAR use

Faruq Ibrahim 23:50 - 06.10.2023

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou proposes aspects of VAR that should be kept and those that could be done without.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has once again exhibited his disgust at the implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in football.

The 56-year-old, despite being a beneficiary of the downside of the technology in their 2-1 victory over Tottenham last weekend, has spent the week making his disagreement with the need for VAR in the sport clear.

What Postecoglou said

The Greek manager explained that he liked goalline technology as its utilisation makes sense, a small caveat to show his grouse is not against the use of technology at all, but rather VAR specifically.

Postecoglou is on the side of the argument that VAR is away from the spirit of football, and it causes a sort of stop-start, similar to rugby and the NFL, that he thinks is not what football is meant to be.

"I've got absolutely zero against goalline technology; that's a no-brainer because that's quite significant, but it works for our game," said Postecoglou, per the BBC.

Ange Postecoglou already has Spurs playing differently // IMAGO
Ange Postecoglou already has Spurs playing differently // IMAGO
Ange Postecoglou  (Photo Credit: Spurs/X)
Ange Postecoglou (Photo Credit: Spurs/X)

"I just think our game is unique and I know people say, 'well, let's get referees explaining their decisions'. Oh my God. Seriously? Could you imagine sitting there listening to a referee explain every decision on the game.

"I'm going to the gridiron on Sunday, I love it, I love American football," he said. "It's three and a half hours mate. Do you want to sit through three and a half hours of listening?

"I just think with VAR at the moment, we think it's going to eliminate [errors] and the more we use it, I think the worse it's going to get. It was there for the clear and obvious error. It seems like everything now. Yellow cards, fouls, corners—everything's getting scrutinised. It's not our game.

"We're not rugby, we don't have those stoppages. What I always loved about England was the frenetic pace of football.

"Why are we trying to take that out? Now, I think part of the consequence of last week was that none of us liked it when they were taking so long to make a decision and it sounded like last week they were rushing into a decision.

"That suggests to me that I don't think the technology in its current form is suitable to our game, but I know I will be in a minority with that and my role within that is to accept that whatever my feelings are on it, ultimately, there's still going to be an arbitrator of decisions."

Related content