Penalty ruling was just pure Var-ce, says angry Fraser
WINGER’S BEWILDERMENT AS MAGPIES ARE DENIED ANOTHER CLEAR SPOT KICK
RYAN Fraser believes VAR is ‘ruining’ football after seeing a second strong penalty shout for Newcastle United turned down in the space of four days.
The former Bournemouth winger was at the centre of a controversial call at Anfield on Thursday night, Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold’s lastditch tackle judged to be legal during the 3-1 defeat.
Eddie Howe’s side was comfortably beaten 4-0 by Manchester City at St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon but was denied a potential first-half lifeline to halve the deficit.
Fraser was brought down by City goalkeeper Ederson but referee Martin Atkinson was unmoved by the appeal as Joao Cancelo emerged with possession.
A VAR check decided against overturning the on-field decision and Fraser could not hide his disbelief at the ruling following his side’s defeat.
He insisted: “It is a penalty, simple as that.
“Even if the ball is getting away, he has taken me out.
“If somebody else had the ball and I just volleyed someone in the middle of the pitch, is that not a free-kick?
“I don’t really get it. Even the Liverpool one at 2-1 down, the moment for West Ham against Arsenal, if he is getting a penalty for that then they have to give me mine.
“If they don’t give that I am all for it. Don’t give me mine against Liverpool. That is two penalties now I feel I should have had.
“Everyone has their own opinions but the referees need to be more accountable. It is just one decision one week and you are thinking how is that a penalty and then it happens the next week and it is not a penalty.
“No-one gets it. Players don’t get it, managers don’t get it but it is how it is.”
Controversial VAR calls have become the subject of regular debate in recent weeks and Fraser bemoaned the lack of consistency and questioned the value in using technology if not to correct errors.
The winger added: “It is not really baffling. Like I said, it happens every week.
“There is always something which comes up and it is a challenge.
“There is no consistency, there is always something and that is what VAR is for.
“If there is no VAR, you take it. It
Everyone has got their own opinions, but the referees need to be more accountable Ryan Fraser
is the game, referees are going to make mistakes.
“However, that is what VAR is there for, to not make mistakes.
“There is no point in having it, it takes so long for anything to happen that there is no point in having it I feel. It just ruins the game.”
This latest decision and defeat capped a miserable week for Newcastle, which saw decisions go against them in all three encounters.
Boss Eddie Howe questioned the call to award Leicester City a penalty for a foul on James Maddison, while Diogo Jota’s equaliser on Thursday night for Liverpool came while Isaac Hayden was lying on the turf with a head injury.
Newcastle remain three points adrift of safety and while expectations were low for a tricky run of fixtures Fraser admits it is ‘frustrating’ to see ‘clear-cut’ decisions go against the team.
He said: “You see them more when you are down there towards the bottom of the league.
“Yet when they are clear-cut as they have been, it is like what are you going to get?
“You are always going to have little challenges in the middle of the pitch where you might not be given something and the fans get at the referee.
“When it is that crucial, where you need the points and the decision does not come, it’s frustrating.”