Brentford manager Keith Andrews has urged football authorities to allow referees to make their own decisions on the pitch, arguing that video assistant referee (VAR) technology has stripped officials of their autonomy. His comments came after Brentford secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Reading in the EFL Cup.
The match at Reading saw controversy when the Royals’ Paudie O’Connor had a first-half overhead kick disallowed by referee Tom Nield for a high boot. Reading boss Leam Richardson labeled the call “possibly in the top three wrong decisions” of his career, noting he has officiated or played in hundreds of games.
Because VAR is not utilized at this stage of the Carabao Cup, the decision stood. Andrews acknowledged the difficult position officials face, stating, “I think we just need to let them ref the game and be human beings and make decisions.”
Andrews suggested that the modern game has suffered because referees no longer feel empowered to make judgments in both penalty areas, calling the situation a “real shame.” This perspective follows an admission by Pro Ref that an “error of judgement” occurred during Sunday’s Manchester derby, where Erling Haaland’s winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United was allowed to stand.
The goal sparked intense debate regarding whether City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was offside, interfered with play by diving to head the ball before Haaland’s finish. Andrews described it as “pretty alarming” that the goal was permitted, noting that both Fernandez and Haaland appeared to be in offside positions.
Reflecting on his playing days, Andrews added that relationships between players and officials were once built on mutual respect and open communication. He lamented that the current system no longer allows for mistakes, making it difficult for referees to revert to previous habits of officiating with more freedom.
Interesting how only certain referees get criticized while others do similar things and face no backlash. The culture needs changing regardless of VAR.
I miss when players could just talk to refs. That respect and communication seems completely gone now.
The Manchester derby incident was genuinely alarming. Maybe we need middle ground where refs have more autonomy but technology helps for clear goals?
But doesn’t that just lead to more inconsistency? VAR errors are frustrating, but bad calls without review are worse for the sport’s integrity.
Finally, someone said it. Referees are humans and should be allowed to make mistakes without constant second-guessing from a screen.