West Ham United: Frank McAvennie slams ‘incompetent’ VAR in new rant
Frank McAvennie has hit out at VAR after the latest West Ham controversy against Aston Villa which saw the longest check in Premier League history.
The former Hammers man was stunned as he insisted the technology should only be used to spot clear errors – although he joked at least the standard isn’t only poor in Scotland.
He called for people to focus on the performance of the Hammers’ players on the day, but conceded that VAR had become the main talking point after games.
McAvennie – speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone – insisted that the standard of officiating is “ruining the game” and taking focus away from the impressive performances on the pitch.
“My thoughts were: thank God it’s not just in Scotland. My God, they’re incompetent down in England as well. It’s embarrassing,” McAvennie shared.
“I thought VAR was for clear and obvious things that the referee missed, clear and obvious fouls. They’re getting involved in everything, and it’s not clear and obvious if it takes six minutes.
It is what it is, whatever, it’s not just West Ham. We’re talking about VAR rather than talking about how well West Ham are playing at the moment. It’s so wrong
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McAvennie’s view was shared by former Liverpool man Phil Thompson, who echoed that VAR is ruining the game for the fans after the decision brought yet more negative attention to the technology as the main talking point.
Thompson and McAvennie are not the first two to fume at the decision, and more specifically the length of time taken to come to the conclusion rather than whether it was correct or not, with officials being told they don’t have a clue.
The Hammers thought they’d secured all three points at the London Stadium, something that would have been huge in their continued battle for European qualification via league position, but a lengthy VAR call decided otherwise.
The continued controversy surrounding VAR is not good for the game, almost as much as the VAR itself is proving not to be on numerous occasions, and calls like this one – whether the correct decision has been made or not – will not increase fan favour.
In other West Ham news, Dharmesh Sheth has shared a David Moyes exit update.
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