It seems that hardly a weekend of Premier League actions passes now without some sort of major VAR controversy.
The latest in the long list of examples came at St James' Park on Saturday, where Arsenal felt they were on the end of an egregious decision when Anthony Gordon's goal for Newcastle was allowed to stand. There were three potential infringements in the buildup to that goal and it probably should have been ruled out.
Mike Arteta was a in a furious mood after the game, with Arsenal going on to release a statement the following day. Of course, they both failed to mention that Kai Havertz should have been sent off earlier in the match, but that was presumably a point for another day.
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Richard Keys produces hilariously unhinged VAR rant
Always known for his measured takes on the game, it will come as no surprise to learn that Richard Keys has weighed in on this latest VAR controversy.
He hasn't let us down.
Writing in his ever entertaining blog, the former Sky Sports presenter has released a rather unhinged rant on how officials and their use of VAR are ruining 'our game' and demanded major changes be made to the sport moving forward.
Here we are again. Every fucking week. It simply isn’t good enough. It can’t go on. I repeat what I said recently - our current crop of match officials aren’t fit for purpose. They’re hopeless. And they’re ruining the best league in the world.
As you’ve probably guessed - I’m angry today. As angry as Arteta was - and he had every right to be. And Arsenal had every right to defend their man.
If we truly believe in free speech why can’t a coach tell us how he feels post match? Fans want to hear what their man is thinking. Free speech - not irresponsible speech, not hate speech. We want to hear genuine opinions, not diluted platitudes...
It’s all such bollocks - and it’s one excuse after another. It’s our game - not IFAB’s. Not the PGMOL’s. Our game. We want to be involved in it, not treated like second class citizens, who’re lucky to be able to spend hard earned money to see our team play, knowing that some of it ultimately goes to supporting the pompous tone-deaf clowns who run these various organisations...
I’m in the luxurious position of being able to say what I think about the falling standards of officialdom in our top league - but imagine taking a call from a high ranking PL broadcast official reminding you who pays your wages. Scary. It happened to two people that I know recently. The message was clear ‘stop criticising the refs’. What sort of world are we living in when people who run the game also want to steer the narrative?
As ever, a balanced take from one of the true visionaries in 'our game'.
From his television studio in Qatar, Richard Keys seems to have it all figured out.
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