Tottenham Boss Ange Postecoglou Calls for Revolution in Football: Why VAR Should Be Abolished Today

Tottenham manager, Ange Postecoglou, advocates for the elimination of VAR in the Premier League amidst the ongoing discussions surrounding its use. Last Saturday, Spurs secured a highly controversial 2-1 win over Liverpool when Luis Diaz's goal at the 34th minute, which would have put the scoreline at 0-0, was incorrectly disallowed for offside. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited later acknowledged a "significant human error" had taken place.

Postecoglou thinks that the mistake occurred because the VAR room made a hasty decision to avoid a lengthy interruption that would disturb the fast-paced nature of football.

When questioned about whether VAR should be eliminated, the Australian replied, "I believe it should, as it is currently implemented. I simply don't think that technology is capable enough for our sport."

I have no objections to goal-line technology. It is a logical choice and benefits our sport.

Our sport is one-of-a-kind. Some suggest having referees clarify their decisions. Goodness gracious - can you envision sitting there and listening to a referee explain every decision made in the game?

I will be attending a football game on Sunday, as I am a big fan of American football. However, the duration of the game is quite long, lasting three and a half hours. In the past, a good referee was someone who went unnoticed, but now the focus is on making them the center of attention.

We now spend time analyzing yellow card incidents in slow motion. As managers and players, we are guilty of this behavior as well. Despite preaching about integrity, if you were to watch a game tonight, you would see both teams appealing for the first throw-in. We are constantly looking for opportunities to gain an advantage, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The more we utilize VAR, the more detrimental its effects become. Every single aspect seems to be excessively examined for clear and obvious errors.

This is not the essence of our game. We are not rugby, and we do not have those frequent interruptions. What has always captivated me about our game, particularly in England, is its fast-paced and frenetic nature. Why are we attempting to remove that? None of us enjoyed it when decisions took too long to be made, and last week it seemed like they were being hurried. Perhaps that is an unintended repercussion.

That implies to me that the current form of technology is not appropriate for our game, although I acknowledge that my opinion may be in the minority.

He further expressed, "I am uncertain about the future appearance of the game in 20 years and uncertain if I will have a positive reception towards it."

Ange: Klopp wrong to suggest replay

On Wednesday Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp suggested the game against Tottenham should be replayed after Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed by the video assistant referee.

But Postecoglou disagrees with the German's calls for a replay.

Postecoglou said: "There's got to be some sort of threshold and I don't think a mistake is the threshold for that.

If we veered away from integrity or misrepresented the law, there might be something worth considering, but at the end of the day, it was simply an error. It may have been one-of-a-kind and without precedent, but it remains a mistake.

"If your threshold for a replay is mistakes by individuals, then that's 365 games a year I reckon."

We News understands any request by Liverpool to replay the match would be rejected.

Postecoglou: Unlikely Spurs would let Liverpool score after VAR error

Postecoglou also said it is unlikely he would have allowed Liverpool to score after Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed against them.

When asked if he would have allowed Liverpool to score if given the opportunity, Postecoglou firmly expressed his disagreement.

According to him, managers carry significant responsibilities in their football clubs but they are not the guardians of decisions like this.

"I wouldn't risk jeopardizing a club's fate based solely on my personal beliefs.

"At that time, even if someone claimed they could fully explain the situation in just 30 seconds... I still had to make a decision, and that simply wasn't possible."

If the situation were clear, it would have been handled differently. The mistake occurred due to a lack of communication, but it wasn't something easily understood or justified. Had it been easily explainable, I would have expected a greater level of uproar.