VAR is pushing football in a really bad direction, proclaims Jose Mourinho

The introduction of VAR in England was supposed to be the start of a new age in English football with many expecting the technology to change the way football was refereed, especially after the usage in the Champions League and the World Cup. But a season later, the technology has been on the wrong side of a lot of decisions. The controversies have simply piled up over the course of the game with many citing that the law is just as much at fault as the usage of the technology.

However, after one of the most controversial decisions that VAR has made this season, it has seen Jose Mourinho claim that the technology is slowly destroying the game of football. It saw Michael Oliver, the VAR referee, rule out a Tottenham goal after the ball bounced to off the hands of Lucas Moura after the Brazilian was forced to the floor. Mourinho also added that he believes that there should only be one referee on the field with a supporting cast in the offices above.

“We are going in a really bad direction for a game everyone fell in love with. Now the referee is in the office. I think the referee should always be the man on the pitch and the people in the office should just support. Normally I am an emotional guy on the bench, I never complain with the man with the whistle because it is not the referee any more,” Mourinho said reported the Times.

“We have to do better. We have to be mentally stronger, to cope with what happened during the game. We cannot mentally die after Michael Oliver gives a decision. I know it is very difficult to take.”