March 19 – Are you watching, Gianni Infantino? Forty-eight hours after the FIFA president triumphantly hailed the official introduction of video technology, hundreds of Lazio supporters demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the Italian football federation to protest about the system whilst there was more controversy in the English game.
The Lazio fans complained their team had been victims of numerous mistakes by referees and the video assistant referee displaying banners which read, among other things, ‘Respect’ and ‘VARgogna’ – a play on the Italian word ‘vergogna’, meaning disgrace.
Flyers were handed out which listed games in which fans thought the Serie A side had been wronged.
“Fiorentina, Torino, Milan, Juve, Cagliari… not to mention those games we won in spite of incredible mistakes,” the protests read.
Italy is one of a number of countries where the VAR system is being trialled in league games this season.
So angry were the Lazio fans that they continued their protest by boycotting the start of their league match at home to Bologna, leaving the Curva Nord stand almost deserted, before entering the Stadio Olimpico in the 15th minute.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino branded the Video Assistant Referee system a “nightmare” after his side cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 win at Swansea.
Heung-Min Son’s 23rd-minute effort was reviewed at length by VAR before being ruled out for offside even though television proved inconclusive.
“It’s a nightmare. I feel so sorry for the people trying to use that system,” said Pochettino. “I think I prefer it when the ref and assistant make mistakes than to wait three or four minutes for things. It is so complex, but the worst thing for me is the effect for the fan. It is going to be a massive problem for the future. We will see what happens at the World Cup.”
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