Another "Lesser" club done by VAR

[MacAdder]

I believe the VAR will generally try to back the on-field referee regardless of who he gives a decision against.

If you don't believe that, then fair enough. Nothing I say is going to change your mind as you apparently believe modern football sucks. I believe the whole VAR system sucks and I don't believe it favours the big clubs at all - it's just rubbish.

I'm not sure that I am disagreeing with you at all, tho in hindsight I probably should have put the heading to the post as "done by referee and VAR" meaning "the system" to clarify my point.
As I said, if the incident had happened at the other end, the ref doesn't give it and as such VAR don't need to get involved, again! Ref vindicated. Again!

What then ensues is a load of rhetoric on well the ref probably has got it right coz VAR haven't done anything to the contrary blah blah blah...

The referees are bloody well paid and therefore should take full responsibility for their actions and giving them a second opportunity to have another look has to be the best way IMO.

I know TLG you have been known to shoot down in flames the first sign of something resembling a conspiracy theory but....
drawing from my vast experience of watching and playing () football over many years, the better teams generally get the decisions.
The better players have more influence.
There doesn't have to be blatant cheating by an official or some huge conspiracy going on. The decision can be sub-concious, but the little people generally get the shit end of the stick.

A bit like life in general really eh?

[Rjk]

I'm not sure that I am disagreeing with you at all, tho in hindsight I probably should have put the heading to the post as "done by referee and VAR" meaning "the system" to clarify my point.
As I said, if the incident had happened at the other end, the ref doesn't give it and as such VAR don't need to get involved, again! Ref vindicated. Again!

What then ensues is a load of rhetoric on well the ref probably has got it right coz VAR haven't done anything to the contrary blah blah blah...

The referees are bloody well paid and therefore should take full responsibility for their actions and giving them a second opportunity to have another look has to be the best way IMO.

I know TLG you have been known to shoot down in flames the first sign of something resembling a conspiracy theory but....
drawing from my vast experience of watching and playing () football over many years, the better teams generally get the decisions.
The better players have more influence.
There doesn't have to be blatant cheating by an official or some huge conspiracy going on. The decision can be sub-concious, but the little people generally get the shit end of the stick.

A bit like life in general really eh?

I think there is probably an unconscious bias towards star clubs and star players. All referees are also football fans and they take into each game their knowledge of players and their talents and as much as they try to be even-handed there could easily be a slight bias one way or another.
Football fans always take it too far though, I've seen ludicrous conspiracy theories on here as have everyone else

[The Lone Gunman]

I'm not sure that I am disagreeing with you at all, tho in hindsight I probably should have put the heading to the post as "done by referee and VAR" meaning "the system" to clarify my point.
As I said, if the incident had happened at the other end, the ref doesn't give it and as such VAR don't need to get involved, again! Ref vindicated. Again!

I was watching the game live and believe this was an incident where the VAR system could and should have worked perfectly. When it happened I immediately thought it was a penalty and I could fully understand why the ref gave it. However, the replay quickly showed that it should have been a free kick to Villa. Therefore, the VAR should have overturned the original decision. It was relatively straightforward as far as I was concerned.

Villa boss Dean Smith said: "I can understand Jon [Moss, referee] getting it wrong, but I don't know what VAR are looking at."

That's the way I saw it. In real time, it looked a penalty. The replay showed it wasn't. I think the ref's mistake was an honest one. The VAR's failure to overturn the incorrect decision was the problem.