The first-ever stadium announcement of a VAR decision occurred during the Spurs vs. Liverpool match, but fans shared a similar opinion on the historic moment.
As part of a trial for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, referees were tasked with explaining VAR decisions to fans inside the stadium. This practice, already seen in other leagues, has been in high demand for English football. Stuart Attwell became the first referee to make such an announcement at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The incident unfolded when Spurs striker Dominic Solanke appeared to score against his former club, but replays revealed a marginal offside. VAR determined that Solanke had strayed just ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Attwell announced the decision via the stadium’s tannoy system.
He stated: “After review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, therefore the decision is offside.” The announcement was met with loud boos from the home fans. While some appreciated the added transparency, others found the explanation pointless, as those in attendance couldn’t see the replay.
One fan commented: “Completely meaningless explanation from Stuart Attwell, at least if you’re just watching on TV.” Another added: “Hearing the referee announce decisions was as pointless as I expected. At least I know what Stuart Attwell sounds like now.”
Other reactions included:
“Thoroughly enjoyed Stuart Attwell’s announcement. Not sure it was necessary in any way, of course.”
“That VAR thing where the referee talks to the crowd is one of the most pointless things I’ve ever seen. Everyone knows it’s offside that’s being checked.”
“Hilarious how pointless the referee announcing VAR decisions is. It solves nothing and just gives people another reason to hate referees.”
Shortly after the disallowed goal, Spurs responded with Solanke assisting 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall, who scored the winner with his first goal for the club. However, Liverpool expressed frustration, believing Bergvall should have been sent off for a late challenge while already on a booking.
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