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LONDON : Other than moving to Sweden where the introduction of VAR has been rejected after opposition from clubs, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said there is no escape from it in England despite almost weekly criticism.
“Yeah, it’s here to stay – absolutely. It’s not going away,” the Australian told reporters on Wednesday ahead of his side’s away Premier League clash at Chelsea.
“I’d change a hell of a lot on it but again I’ve said before that I think it’s changed the game materially, which I don’t think was the intention when it was brought in.”
The use of VAR in the Premier League has created more controversy than it was introduced to solve with offside decisions being forensically examined and hand ball decisions often wildly inconsistent to the frustration of managers.
Referees chief Howard Webb admitted on Wednesday that VAR should have intervened in Nottingham Forest’s recent loss at Everton, saying they should have been awarded a penalty.
Postecoglou has had his own frustrations with VAR and says the impact has not been in the best interests of the game.
“Like I said we’re trying to pick the bones out of every little thing that happens in a football game at the moment – whether that’s the referee or any other part,” he said.
“I don’t like it – it changes the game, the game experience whether you’re involved or not as an active spectator. But hopefully they’ll find the right sort of ground for it to work.”
Postecoglou said he did attend meetings with officials but it was down to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to iron out the issues with VAR.
“It’s about them finding out what’s the best decision-making process that’s not going to affect the game. It’s got nothing to do with managers. I manage a football team – I can tell them how to set up a team,” the former Celtic manager said.
“I thought we should have had a penalty on the weekend (against Arsenal), other people didn’t think we should have had a penalty. I wasn’t sure about Micky van de Ven’s offside but other people say it is offside.
“At the end of the day, who am I to sit in a room and tell officials how to do their job? They should know that – that is their job. I wouldn’t want to be asking referees to advise coaches on how to manage a team.”
Asked about Sweden’s stance, Postecoglou quipped: “Yeah, I’m moving there. I don’t have a job, I’m just moving there.”
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