Neil Warnock fires referees chief Howard Webb five-point plan to save VAR

14 November 2023 , 08:17

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Neil Warnock thinks he has the solution to recent VAR woes (Image: John Early/Getty Images)

Neil Warnock has urged PGMOL chief Howard Webb to hire ex-players and managers to work as VARs.

Webb has come under fire recently following a spate of high-profile poor decisions across the game. Marcus Rashford ’s straight red card in Manchester United ’s 4-3 defeat by FC Copenhagen in the Champions League has sparked debate, while the game also contained two contentious penalties for handball.

Many have considered VAR to be in crisis since the dreadful blunder by Darren England, who incorrectly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool against Tottenham in September, while the decision to allow Newcastle's winning goal against Arsenal prompted a furious rant from Gunners' boss Mikel Arteta.

Warnock has finally stepped down from management, but still feels strongly about helping improve the game. “Many refs, like John Brooks, will get 90 per cent of decisions right because they know the rules. But, when it comes to the football side, such as interpreting deliberate or dangerous play, they often get it wrong,” the 74-year-old told The Sun.

“You need to have played to understand certain things. Currently we’re seeing refs who have a problem making a decision turning to another official doing VAR who also has difficulty understanding a footballing matter. VAR must be taken away from refs. Howard and his PGMOL group can manage it, but they should educate an independent group of ex-players and managers to be in the video room.”

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As well as using ex-players and managers, Warnock believes slow-mo replays need to be abolished because they often make innocuous fouls look worse and VAR officials should have a 30-second time limit to make decisions. He would also change the offside rule so ‘daylight’ has to be between an attacker and a defender, while he would allow officials to use common sense, rather than following the rules robotically.

Howard Webb is under pressure to improve the VAR system (Premier League)

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He added: “Howard could encourage some of these lads in their twenties that have decent experience and knowledge of playing the game. It’s something we’ve missed out on. England could’ve been pioneers in getting a proper group of ex-players involved.”

Chelsea ’s action-packed 4-4 draw with Manchester City on Sunday sparked yet more debate over VAR after Erling Haaland was awarded a penalty for a foul by Marc Cucurella.

"This is not right. I think that’s harsh for me, because it looks like half of one, half a dozen on the other between Haaland and Cucurella,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “Cucurella initially is tight and aggressive with Haaland but Haaland also grabs hold of him.

"This is not the right decision because VAR wasn't looking at the start of the tussle, he’s got hold of his shirt which allows him to get in front and then he goes down. It’s very harsh on Chelsea, VAR have only looked at the end of tussle. I think it’s harsh, I really do."

Felix Keith