West Ham United: Chris Sutton shares what now needs to change after what happened v Aston Villa
Chris Sutton has called on all Premier League grounds to share VAR footage with supporters in wake of the lengthy incident that went against West Ham versus Aston Villa.
Tomas Soucek was denied a late winner for the Irons in Sunday’s (17 March) 1-1 draw with Villa at London Stadium as the ball was deemed to have hit his arm first.
The video assistant referee took close to six minutes to come to a decision, during which time those inside the stadium were none the wiser as to what was happening.
Sutton believes that all such incidents should be played on big screens, just as is the case in rugby.
Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast [18 March, 34m 25s], Sutton said: “Why can’t football just copy rugby inside the stadium to help fans understand what is going on, what is going through the referee’s mind?”
When it was pointed out that grounds such as Old Trafford and Anfield do not have big screens, Sutton said that should not matter as VAR itself is also not used in every ground in the FA Cup.
VAR overhaul needed after latest West Ham United farce
It would maybe be overstating it to say the incident this weekend alone was a turning point for many, but the delay really was unacceptable, even if David Moyes fell short of saying so.
How can it be a ‘clear and obvious’ decision if it has taken over five minutes to come to a conclusion?
Whereas supporters watching on TV across the world can see the footage VAR is reviewing being replayed, those in the ground are in the blind.
If VAR is to stay, all the refereeing officials need to be able to make their point of view clear to those watching on.
At least that way you have a basic understanding of what exactly is going on, and why they have come to a certain decision.
That is not to say everyone will agree with the decisions, but at least there will be some justification.
Better yet, just put all this down to a bad experiment and do away with VAR for good.
In other West Ham news, Alan Pardew found Moyes’s response to the VAR outcry funny.
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