We won’t see VAR in women’s game
UNITED manager Casey Stoney doubts VAR will ever be used in the Women’s Super League.
The video referee system has attracted huge controversy in the men’s Premier League this season, while its use was also one of the main talking points during the Women’s World Cup in France last summer.
Stoney (pictured) is sceptical about both the system itself, and whether the WSL will ever be in a position to afford it.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see (VAR),” she said. I don’t think we’ll ever be resourced for it because there’s not the money in the game.
“I thought we were going towards, years ago, the advantage for the attacker to make it a more entertaining game, and it seems to have gone completely the other way now, so no I don’t want it in the women’s game at all.”
England had a goal disallowed in their World Cup semi-final defeat to the United States when a marginal offside call went against Ellen White.
“I don’t like (VAR). I like the drama of football,” Stoney added.
“I like the fact that a ref makes a mistake because they’re human and, if I’m sitting in the crowd, I want to be able to celebrate a goal and not have to wait two minutes to see if it’s onside, offside, if it’s touched someone’s fingernail or toenail and is offside.”
THERE are 18 seconds on the clock in United’s Boxing Day clash with Newcastle and Scott McTominay has conceded a foul, going in late on visiting midfielder Sean Longstaff. It’s a tackle that earns the Scot a booking – the earliest of the Premier League campaign to date.
It’s less than three minutes later, however, that a potential turning point in United’s season unfolds. It’s when McTominay is in the thick of things again, clashing with Longstaff again and then his brother Matty. But instead of a yellow card, the passionate United midfielder comes away from this double challenge worse off.
Hobbling, grasping his leg and struggling to run, United’s midfield dependable carries on until half-time until it’s revealed he’s suffered knee ligament damage.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised McTominay’s resolve after a 4-1 win for United that day.
“The boy has got the biggest heart of the lot,” he said. “He played until half-time, you [can] see the attitude of the kid.”
United’s website wrote that McTominay ‘bravely played on for the remainder of the first half,’ before he was replaced by Paul Pogba and was later seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches. He’s been sidelined ever since. Less than three weeks after that Boxing Day win, lightning struck again for United, with Harry Maguire.
The England centre-back picked up a knock in the first half of the FA Cup third round tie against Wolves to cue genuine concern that he might need to be replaced mid-game.
Phil Jones underwent an extensive warm-up down the touchline from the 28-minute