“Hopefully that will get rid of the chaos.”
There’s no question that the VAR debate has reached boiling point after last week’s showdown between Tottenham and Liverpool.
Luis Diaz’s perfectly onside goal being ruled offside was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many fans and those in the media. The controversial incident led to PGMOL apologising and releasing the audio to explain how the team came to the decision.
A statement from the PGMOL apologised to Liverpool for the “human error” and removed officials Darren England and Dan Cook from any upcoming fixtures.
Nigel Owens weighs in on VAR debate.
However, the Merseyside club said that it was an “unacceptable” excuse for what happened at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A lot of people have suggested that VAR could take a leaf out of rugby’s book and copy how their refs communicate with the crowd, and there’s no better man to speak on the topic than former Test referee Nigel Owens.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Owens focused on one VAR change that should be taken from rugby.
“They’re not communicating to an audience. It sounds like a conversation between two friends. It sounds all chaotic and very unprofessional.
“Bring that in. Knowing that people can hear the communication, that’s how you grow as communicators in the game. Hopefully that will get rid of the chaos.”
Nigel Owens believes that the audience hearing communications between VAR and the referees will help their performance… ✅🎙
Should football take a leaf out of rugby's book when it comes to VAR? 🤔#BBCFootball | #VAR #TOTLIV pic.twitter.com/eHBQMow2GT
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) October 5, 2023
This isn’t the first time Owens has had his input heard about how the Premier League can improve the VAR system.
In 2020, the former rugby ref told WalesOnline: “It may be the [offside] rule needs to change, not the VAR interpretation. Perhaps that if a tiny part of your body is offside, but the rest of it is onside, maybe the goal should still stand.”
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