Arsene Wenger criticises decision to delay VAR that leaves the Premier League ‘behind the rest of the world’

Arsenal manager expresses his belief that the Premier League has made a ‘very, very bad decision’

Monday 16 April 2018 07:27 BST
Comments
Arsene Wenger believes the Premier League have made a 'very, very bad decision' to delay VAR
Arsene Wenger believes the Premier League have made a 'very, very bad decision' to delay VAR (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said the Premier League’s decision to delay the implementation of the video assistant referee system (VAR) means the English top flight is being left behind.

The 20 top-flight teams voted against introducing the system for the league’s 2018-19 season after trial runs in the cup competitions received mixed reviews.

“The Premier League has been created with people who had a progressive mind... ,” Wenger told reporters after Arsenal’s 2-1 league defeat by Newcastle United on Sunday. “Overall, I believe that with that decision we are behind the rest of the world.

“The young generation is used to (VAR) and worldwide they might move away from us because they see that in other countries they do it.

“Unfortunately the Premier League has again decided not to go for VAR and personally I believe that is a very, very bad decision,” Wenger added.

“Every big game this season has been decided by mistakes that could have been avoided with VAR, especially in the Champions League with Manchester City and Liverpool.”

Arsenal host West Ham United on Sunday.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in