Pep Guardiola has asserted that there is “confusion” surrounding VAR in every country, not just in the Premier League. This statement comes after the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) faced criticism once again over the weekend. Mikel Arteta expressed his dismay at the decision made by the video assistant referee. That is to allow Newcastle’s goal to stand during Arsenal’s 1-0 loss on Saturday. Referring to it as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace.”
Anthony Gordon scored the lone goal of the match following three VAR checks. The first check was to ascertain if the ball had gone out of play before it was crossed into the area, the second was to examine whether Gabriel Magahales had been fouled in the Arsenal box, and the third was to determine if there was an offside.
What did Mikel Arteta say?
Following their reviews, VAR determined that the goal should stand. Thus, resulting in the abrupt end of Arsenal’s unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta said: “I have to be here now to say it is not acceptable. We didn’t deserve to lose the match. We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. A disgrace. That’s what it is – a disgrace. You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. I am wasting my time. We are wasting our time. I don’t want to be in the hands of people.”
Guardiola has previously voiced his frustrations regarding the quality of VAR officiating in the Premier League, but he believes that the issues with VAR are not significantly different in other parts of the world.
“I have the feeling in every country there is confusion about things. Emotions after the game feelings are so high. It’s difficult to handle it – I’m talking about me, not Mikel Arteta or any other manager. We cannot talk to the fourth officials, we cannot do anything. It didn’t change much from last season.”
Keep following us on Twitter for more updates!
