FA Cup blunders show we need VAR - but we need refereeing standards to improve more

View 2 Images

It is one of the most preposterous defences of a weekend of refereeing blunders. Apparently managers and players do not get stick when they make mistakes but referees do.

Players and managers are allowed to make errors but referees cannot get away with such mistakes. The treatment is much tougher. A few ex-refs have said it, it’s been said to me a few times and now people are actually believing it.

So, let’s get it straight. What utter nonsense. Who on earth comes up with this stuff? And do they live on Mars?

In case you had not noticed, when players miss a big chance they get pilloried, they are splashed across back pages and it is analysed over and over again.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Just look at Cole Palmer’s last-gasp miss for Chelsea against Leeds. It was described as one of the worst misses in Premier League history on one show I listened to.

If a player makes a bad tackle then he is quite rightly hung out to dry. If he scores an own goal then he becomes public enemy No.1.

If a manager gets it wrong then he has “you’re getting sacked in the morning” shouted at him - and that’s splashed across the back page.

The pressure that Thomas Frank must have dealt with as Tottenham manager must have felt intolerable. It was painful to watch. And if we talk about errors, fans will point to substitutions, signings and selections as mistakes. It’s how it works.

View 2 Images

Is it right? Of course not. But that is the harsh reality of being involved in top flight football. The referees are part of the game. I’m not saying they should sign up to abuse. But it’s part of the process.

And referees are professional. We are not talking about silly mistakes here. We are talking about big gaffes in one game. Chris Kavanagh at Aston Villa v Newcastle . Not being able to see whether the handball was inside the box or not?

Manchester City ’s offside decision against Omar Marmoush… well, it’s so obvious and wrong that it was downright embarrassing.

Come on, let’s not excuse it. Let’s tell it for what it is - refereeing standards have dropped because they have the safety blanket of VAR.

MAKE THE MIRROR YOUR FIRST CHOICE! Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Yes, there are less interventions in the Premier League. But fans can judge with their own eyes and this weekend showed we need VAR but it also showed we need an improvement in refereeing standards.

Because, after all, it is those referees operating VAR. The equipment is only as good as those operating it.

Do managers use referees and their mistakes as a deflection tactic? Probably. So do players. Do referees get that same luxury? No, of course not. But would we expect it from them? No.

We cannot escape from the fact it was a bad weekend for officials. And this time there was no VAR to mask it.

Content cannot be displayed without consent