Ex-Chelsea frontman Chris Sutton has criticised VAR for failing to award the Blues a penalty when Cesar Azpilicueta was quite clearly fouled in the penalty area.
Azpilicueta hit the deck after being on the receiving end of a poor challenge from Norwich City’s Marco Stiepermann, yet even after consulting VAR, there was no penalty awarded.
That was a baffling decision, with the decision not to award the penalty being as clear and obvious as refereeing errors get. Sutton, who now works for BT Sport, is in agreement.
Sutton is quoted by Football London saying:
“He kicks him in the knee and it’s clear and obvious. This is why football fans around the country are getting so frustrated. I just don’t know what you have to do there to get a penalty. Maybe get him in a headlock. It should have been overturned no doubt.”
He’s absolutely right. There’s no point in having this technology if incidents are going to be reviewed and officials are still not going to come to the correct decision.
VAR is going to drive us crackers this season if decisions of this kind become the norm. By the sound of things, it’ll give Sutton a few more grey hairs, too…
