The crowd don’t have a clue what’s going on
I’VE been in the crowd for two matches ‘enhanced’ by the video ref and the system has been a disaster. As Chelsea struggled to get past Norwich in Wednesday’s FA Cup replay, confusion reigned at Stamford Bridge — just as it did with VAR in place for the League Cup semi-final against Arsenal. It is never clear to the crowd when the system is being used or why. There are huge screens in the stadium — why can’t these be used to make clear signals? You’ve got paying fans without a clue what is happening. The delays kill the natural flow that football thrives on, the excitement when your team is attacking. Rugby, cricket and tennis are full of natural stops for reviews — football fans want the action to be coming thick and fast. Both Graham Scott for the Norwich game and Martin Atkinson for Arsenal handled the system badly, with no direction on how it should be used. Now it turns out a clear penalty was turned down, even with a video ref! It is a classic case of English football making it up as it goes along and leaving everyone scratching their heads.