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Perth coach Kenny Lowe has questioned the fallible nature of the A-League’s video assistant referee, reasoning it only serves to compound human error while detracting from the beautiful game.
The spotlight was on the contentious new technology yet again on Friday night, when it took nearly four minutes to conduct a review into one of three penalties awarded against Glory in Sydney FC’s 2-0 win.
Days after Brisbane counterpart John Aloisi lamented a lack of consistency in getting VAR calls right, Lowe outright denounced the system for “making a mockery of a lovely game”.
The VAR, introduced in last season’s finals series, has been designed to adjudicate only when a clear error has been made.
In the case of Friday night at Allianz Stadium, a seemingly clear-cut handball by Joseph Mills was deemed enough for a review.
By the time on-field referee Shaun Evans had viewed replays himself and upheld his original decision, Bobo had been left standing on the spot for almost eight times the 30 seconds Football Federation Australia predicted the average decision would take.
“If it takes that long to make a decision that’s reasonable doubt, people have been hung for less,” Lowe said.
“If someone put 50 pence in the meter they’d run out of electricity.
“It’s crazy. I just don’t understand it. It’s not a great reflection on the game.”
The incident just before halftime had Lowe fuming to the point he briefly marched himself down the tunnel while Evans reviewed footage, later admitting “my head had gone”.
The 55-year-old pointed to the unavoidable human element of the VAR in stating he’d prefer referees simply made decisions themselves.
“I’d rather the referee hone his craft, polish his skills and make a decision,” Lowe said.
“And look, we’re all human. The VAR isn’t another computer – it’s another human up there making a decision, so it’s fallible.
“We’ve already got someone who’s fallible on the pitch, what’s the point in getting someone fallible upstairs? The guys will make mistakes … but this just compounds it now.
“I’d sooner go and have a beer with my mates on Sunday morning and have an argument over whether it was or wasn’t a pen, as opposed to something that doesn’t really work well at the moment.”
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