TIERNEY KEEPS VAR OFF EFL RADAR

REFEREE Paul Tierney’s operation of VAR at last weekend’s Championship play-off final is likely to bring a speedy end to discussions about introducing the review system throughout the EFL. VAR was used at all three play-off finals for the first time this season, but Tierney’s application of it in particular caused controversy at Wembley as he failed to intervene on either occasion when Jon Moss twice missed two clear penalty appeals by Huddersfield Town, which helped to condemn them to a 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest. Championship clubs already had concerns about bringing in VAR on a permanent basis due to the cost of operating the system, and the controversy in the biggest game of the season — worth £180million to the winners — will not have swayed the doubters.