A-League boss defends technology despite poor debut Review trial has red card replies

FOOTBALL A-LEAGUE boss Greg O’Rourke admits the farcical use of the VAR is taking the focus off the football and changes need to be made – but the technology is here to stay.

The VAR overshadowed Josep Gombau’s first win as Western Sydney Wanderers coach on Saturday night, with the referee opting to send off two Mariners players in the second half at Central Coast Stadium upon review.

First Wout Brama had his yellow card upgraded to a red for his studs-up challenge on Roly Bonevacia and a few minutes later Jake McGing was sent off for an innocuous challenge on Kearyn Baccus. Neither challenge was particularly violent and Western Sydney players appeared surprised by the decision on both occasions to go upstairs.

Football Federation Australia opted to trial the technology, to be introduced at next year’s World Cup, and despite calls to abandon it, O’Rourke says it’s a matter of “getting it right rather than walking away from the trial”.

“Most other Australian sports have been using technology and referees and umpires in the stands or central hubs for many years and have taken time to improve the systems,” he said. “We are rightfully impatient as a sport to see this perfected much quicker and that is our aim as well. We will make some more changes to the way we approach the use of VAR in time for the next round.

“Contentious decisions by referees have always been talking points and will continue to some degree with or without VAR, but it is important that game-changing decisions have the benefit of the same reviews that the audience have in the stadiums or at home to improve accuracy.”

While on some occasions the case for the VAR is reinforced, such as when replays show the ball crossed the line, in many other cases confusion abounds. The game is halted before an often questionable decision is made.

Central Coast coach Paul Okon was at a loss to explain the logic of the VAR’s intervention following his team’s defeat, while O’Rourke says the A-League has been challenged by the consistency of the technology’s application.

Following Saturday night’s match Okon signalled his intention to appeal both red cards.