Brighton fans were furious after VAR denied a seemingly obvious penalty against Tottenham on Saturday.
VAR has been used in the Premier League for several years now, but this season hardly a game goes by without some controversial decisions overshadowing the action on the pitch.
Over the past few months, there have been so many decisions not made by VAR, that PGMOL has begun punishing officials for poor performances.
After some questionable performances this season, former Premier League referee Mike Dean has not been selected for VAR for over two months now.
On Saturday, it was Brighton's turn to be annoyed by VAR's decisions. Roberto De Zerbi's side lost 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Harry Kane's late strike canceled out Lewis Dunk's first-half equalizer.
However, 10 minutes earlier, Brighton thought they deserved a penalty when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fouled Kaoru Mitoma in the box.
Referee Stuart Attwell took no action on the pitch but, despite a review of the incident, VAR ruled that the referee had not committed a clear and obvious foul.
The away team were very disappointed with the referees when they scored two goals - one due to VAR technology - for handball in a match-fixing situation.
While those decisions seem far less obvious than the no-penalty situation, Brighton supporters and neutrals expressed their skepticism to officials online. "The Premier League's VAR is really crazy. Mimic every game now. It's despicable even from a neutral perspective," one person said.
Hopefully Brighton will receive an apology from PGMOL after this move. No shadow and all of Mitoma's legs. Confusingly it hasn't been given away, and it looks like it will cost Brighton dearly here. pic.twitter.com/5CEFiqDsmg
– Emily Clogg (@emilyclogg) April 8, 2023
Regarding the penalty breakdown, another said:
"One of the clearest corners you'll see all season. Somehow VAR could look at that and then decide it wasn't a penalty."
One supporter was outright scathing with the officials saying:
"I almost want to believe that this is a match-fixing case, there's no way humans could be so incompetent."
Another said:
"VAR doesn't help when you always have the same poor referee behind the screen."
Many fans and players are disappointed that VAR is used to great effect in other sports like rugby, but in football there are so many contradictions.
One fan suggested that "fans need VAR chat audio," adding, "that should give some insight. I don't see why it's not offered, I'd love to hear them. explain."
Brighton are eyeing a place in the European Cup, but with Spurs currently seven points ahead of them, a Europa League spot could overtake them.
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