Make it much more transparent

AFTER Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus had his late strike disallowed, the TV camera cut to Sergio Aguero looking positively perplexed on the bench. he was not alone. Supporters inside the Etihad Stadium will have felt that way, too. If I could change one thing about VAR, it would be to make it more transparent. I want to be able to hear the officials as they dissect a decision, like we can in cricket. In its current form, confusion reigns. After a goal, let’s hear: ‘Checking for offside. It’s not offside. Checking for potential foul. There’s no foul.’ or in Saturday’s case: ‘Under the guidelines for handball, that goal has got to be disallowed. The ball hit Aymeric Laporte’s arm and his team gained an advantage from it.’ Fans might not agree with the decision but at least they could then understand it. As for the handball itself, it may seem an unpopular opinion but, speaking as an active referee, I agree with the law change. It used to be that it had to be deliberate to be a foul but how does a referee know what is and isn’t deliberate? That was too vague. This new guideline simplifies it. If you gain an advantage from handball, whether accidental or not, it has to be punished. I also believe our officials should be using their pitch-side monitors more. If Michael oliver had gone to review Erik Lamela’s challenge on Rodri, then I’m sure he would have awarded a penalty.