Wayne Rooney has slammed VAR after Manchester United conceded a controversial goal to lose 1-0 to Manchester City on Sunday.
Speaking after the Manchester Derby on BBC Sport’s Match of the Day, Wayne Rooney made his feelings clear about VAR after a critical decision cost Manchester United crucial points in the Manchester Derby. The Manchester United legend made it a point to assert that he was “sick of” VAR after a dubious non-call for an offside.
The game-changing moment came at the hour mark, as Erling Haaland produced a brilliant finish from Josko Gvardiol’s cross from the far side to make it 1-0. While the goal was initially ruled out as offside by the linesman, VAR overturned the decision and awarded it to Manchester City after several minutes of deliberation.
VAR deemed Enzo Fernandez was not interfering with play, when he clearly attempted to play the ball, thus ruling that Haaland, who also appeared to be in an offside position, scored a “legitimate” goal past Senne Lammens.
Reacting to that decision by VAR, Wayne Rooney said, “I’m just so sick of this VAR. I think it’s horrendous. All the emotion of the game, the energy which the game’s played with. And to not see that and recognise that Enzo Fernandez is in an offside position is…anyone who’s played the game at any level understands that and knows that he’s in an offside position. So to get it so wrong, it’s just baffling.”
Incredulously, RefPro made a statement hours later to acknowledge the mistake made by VAR. The announcement also explained the thought process behind the decision while clarifying that it was ultimately the wrong one.
The statement said, “The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.”
Wayne Rooney’s outburst is understandable, as the decision by VAR was ultimately consequential to the game’s result. With the margins being slim in the top half of the Premier League, such decisions can be critical to a team’s fortunes at the end of the season.
