Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has likened the wait for video assistant referees to make tight decisions to “going to the casino”.
Jay Rodriguez’s late goal in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Bournemouth was initially ruled out for offside by Samuel Barrott, but VAR needed more than five minutes to confirm the original on-field call.
VAR screens showed the officials drawing different coloured lines and replaying the goal from various angles before finally reaching a verdict.
“It’s sometimes like going to the casino and putting all your chips on black or red,” Kompany told BBC Match of the Day.
“I could see them changing angles, drawing different lines. Sometimes the line turned up green, which means it’s onside, and sometimes it turned out red, which means it’s offside.
“I completely understand that [the officials on the pitch] can make a mistake. It’s the process that worries me.”
Image one – first line showing Rodriguez onside
Image two – second line shows Rodriguez offside
Speaking about the decision on BBC’s Match of the Day, pundit Ian Wright said: “The fans said it – it was embarrassing. They’ve got the procedures, they know what they’re supposed to be doing, but they draw the line in the wrong place. Five-and-a-half minutes…”
VAR has been under the spotlight again in recent weeks following the fall-out from Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal for Liverpool against Tottenham.
Referees’ chief Howard Webb says steps have been taken to avoid a repeat of the controversy, which came from miscommunication between the VAR teams.
Kompany was every bit as agitated – if not more so – by a late handball inside the Bournemouth penalty area which he feels was missed by both the on-field officials and VAR.
The ball appeared to strike Cherries defender Chris Mepham on the hand as he attempted to stop Sander Berge meeting Charlie Taylor’s in-swinging cross at the far post, but Kompany said play had restarted without VAR taking a closer look.
“For us, it’s a clear handball – but there’s no VAR check,” said the former Manchester City defender.
“We’ve just spent seven minutes checking to see if [Rodriguez] is offside or not. It’s probably the width of a hair.
“I’ve brought it up with the officials – I think it was a respectful conversation. It’s not something I can change now, but I’ve not been given answers.
Earlier this season, Kompany admitted he “switches off” during explanations of the laws of the game after Lyle Foster had a late winner disallowed by VAR in an eventual 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Saturday’s defeat leaves the Clarets in 19th place in the Premier League table, two points adrift of safety.
