‘I’m so fed up’ – Pundit rages at ‘Ridiculous’ officiating ‘Farce’ after Tottenham defeat

Paul Robinson has attacked England’s “ridiculous” officiating, claiming that it is only becoming worse in the wake of Tottenham’s penalty-denial against Aston Villa.

During the 2-1 loss on November 26, Spurs had two calls for an early spot kick when the ball struck Ezri Konsa in the arm moments before Diego Carlos elbowed Bryan Gil in the face. However, both calls were denied due to concerns about whether VAR was even functioning [Sky Sports].

Sky Sports analystRobinson believes neither Villa calls would have been overturned if the circumstances had been reversed, but he is tired of the “boring” requirement to discuss the same issues that keep coming up every week. Robinson also asserts that referees are now “afraid” to make decisions.

In an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, Robinson stated: “To be honest, I’m tired of hearing about officials and VAR. It’s absurd. If Spurs had made those two decisions on the field, they would not have been overturned.

We’re heading toward a situation where referees are reluctant to call plays because they are aware that VAR is always there as a safety net, but we may not be doing it correctly.

“In this country, officiating has been subpar and continues to deteriorate.

There are far too many parties involved and voices in the VAR implementation process. Permit one person to speak and inform the referee that he may need to check into something.

“Let the referee on the field go look at the monitor; nobody else should watch it. Don’t talk to him; just let him see it and decide for himself. because far too many people get involved, which is what I believe happened with Spurs and Villa over the weekend.

“The entire situation is genuinely turning into a farce, and we’re not sure what we can and cannot overturn or interfere with. Each week, we have a conversation about it. It needs to be controlled and used responsibly because it is here to stay.

“Like hundreds of thousands of other fans across the nation, I’m tired of it because it’s monotonous and repeats the same themes every week. They even have a television program of their own. Even though I don’t like it, I watch it to see what they have to say.

It’s absurd. Furthermore, aren’t they also bringing in sin bins? We’re having trouble even getting the referees on the field, and now we’re adding another rule involving sin bins, which will undoubtedly be enforced at a higher level.

“I don’t think they’ve given that one much thought because what is it? When the score is eight on each side, the game is called off? It should be a fascinating one.

Whatever the merits and demerits of VAR or officiating standards, it seems like the debate has gotten so heated that officials are cracking under the strain and things are getting worse rather than better.

Even though it would seem most sensible to simplify the process as much as possible, there are constant changes made in the opposite direction, to the point where almost no one is left satisfied because VARs seem to pick apart insignificant infractions and ignore obvious mistakes.

Since decisions are inherently subjective, it is impossible to please everyone. The debate has reached a fever pitch where every decision is scrutinized in great detail, but the Carlos elbow at the weekend in particular seemed like a pretty obvious mistake that went unpunished as Tottenham’s losing streak grew to three games.