VAR once again stole the show for all the wrong reasons as Newcastle conceded a late penalty to draw 1-1 with PSG in the Champions League, leaving Jeff Stelling and Alan Shearer raging
After yet another refereeing error cost Newcastle in the Champions League matchup against PSG, Jeff Stelling has stated that he wants VAR eliminated.
The former Football Saturday host jumped onto X in a fit of passion after the Magpies gave up a late penalty that wasn’t supposed to be given, by the rules. Deep into stoppage time, Tino Livramento’s outstretched arm blocked an attempted Ousmane Dembele cross in the box, but since the ball had already bounced off the Toon defender’s chest, there was no call for a foul.There was nothing to call a foul on.
Nevertheless, a VAR review led to the awarding of a penalty, which Kylian Mbappe duly scored to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half opening. In addition to preventing Newcastle from winning a historic match, the equaliser meant that they would now need to win their last group match in order to advance to the next round.
enraged, After the match, Newcastle great Alan Shearer posted on X, saying, “Do me a f***ing favour man.” “What a bunch of s***. #VAR,” Stelling retorted, “Al, the officials are spoiling the game. It makes me want to stop watching.”
Later on, Stelling, who is currently employed by talkSPORT, lost it: “It’s the people’s game.” How many people would be angry if VAR was eliminated? Not me.
Although Newcastle have every right to feel hard done by, they were fortunate to still be ahead in the dying embers after getting absolutely peppered by PSG in the second half. The hosts ended the game with 31 shots to Newcastle’s five, 73% possession and an xG of 4.47.
The result leaves Eddie Howe’s side third in the group, and they’ll need to beat AC Milan next month to stand any chance of making the knockout rounds. Their fate is out of their hands, however, as a PSG win over already-qualified Dortmund will be enough to see the Parisians through
The blunder from last night occurred a full day after Wolves lost to Fulham following the concession of a highly contentious injury-time penalty. With several high-profile errors this season, trust in technology seems to be at an all-time low. Players have also expressed worry that they are becoming more prone to injury as a result of the play breaks brought on the VAR reviews.
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