Burnley manager Scott Parker says video assistant referee decisions are threatening to turn football into “the most sterile game there is” after his side lost to a controversial late penalty on Saturday at Manchester United.
Ruben Amorim’s team were awarded a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time when Jaidon Anthony was penalised for grabbing Amad Diallo’s shirt inside the area.
Referee Sam Barrott initially waved play on, but after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor he awarded the spot-kick and Bruno Fernandes held his nerve to earn the hosts a 3-2 victory.
“It’s the way the game has gone – quadruple checking everything every minute,” Parker told BBC Match of the Day. “On the field, the referee didn’t give the foul.
“Then we’ve re-reffed it. It’s not the ref, it’s a fella 200-odd miles away in a box.”
Clarets striker Lyle Foster also had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside earlier in the second half, a decision the 24-year-old described as “unfair”.
The controversy at Old Trafford came after two highly contentious decisions in Chelsea’s 2-0 triumph over Fulham in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Referee Rob Jones ruled out Fulham teenager Josh King’s 21st-minute goal for a foul in the build-up, before Enzo Fernandez scored from the penalty spot after a Trevoh Chalobah cross had struck Ryan Sessegnon’s arm.
A seething Marco Silva told TNT Sports the decision to disallow King’s fine finish was “unbelievable”.
“I prefer not to say something, because I would be punished,” he added.
We may only be three games into the new Premier League season, but more often than not VAR is once again dominating post-match discussion.
