New Delhi: It was an iconic moment during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final’s first leg between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when referee Stuart Attwell announced a video assistant referee (VAR) decision inside the stadium. Over a PA system he announced that after a review, Dominic Solanke was found to be in an offside position.
Still, the Lillywhites managed to score after Lucas Bergvall’s 86th-minute goal, which saw them win the first leg 1-0. Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou wasn’t too excited by the decision, as he mentioned to Sky Sports that the announcement didn’t do much for the match. A critic of technology in football Postecoglou, wasn’t amused at how everyone was okay with changes being made to the game and people should be careful with the amount of changes made to the game.
For the first time, fans were able to hear referee Stuart Attwell explain why the VAR ruled out Dominic Solanke’s goal in the League Cup vs Liverpool 📺 😲 pic.twitter.com/zLb8QJ4SrK
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) January 8, 2025
He concluded that there is too much confusion due to the changes mostly triggered by the inclusion of VAR. Liverpool’s Arne Slot also felt that Attwell’s decision to not give Begvall a second yellow card for his 84th-minute tackle on Kostas Tsmikas would have been hard to explain.
The decision to make the announcements is being tested for all of the League Cup semi-finals. For part of this programme, referees will announce their final decisions following their visit to the VAR pitchside monitor. The same applies to the rulings made for factual issues like an accidental handball by a goalscorer and offside offences where the attacker touches the ball.
These types of announcements are already common for other sports such as rugby union and American football. The system has already been trialled in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Premier League had already stated in a meeting last summer that VAR announcements during a game would be in place at some point in the season. The second leg of the semi-final will be played at Anfield Stadium next month.
Referee Stuart Attwell made the first inside the stadium video assistant referee decision during the Carabao Cup’s first leg semi final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
