Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has joined to call for the Premier Soccer League(PSL) to implement VAR after his team’s controversial loss to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final.
Lehlohonolo Mojela opened the scoring for the Cape side in the 12th minute but Pirates hit back two minutes before half-time through Monnapule Saleng. With the match looking set for extra time, drama happened in the final minutes of regular time.
“I’m not sure, I think there had been at some stage a point that they were looking to target the final – this one – to implement VAR, but unfortunately they did not,” said Barker as reported by SABCSports.
“But it just seems like there’s far too many big calls that are not going the right way, and I think the intervention of VAR will help.
“Refs are human, I don’t think the refs go and purposefully make the mistake, it’s just that a lot’s happening, it’s the 90th minute of a cup final, they take a quick free-kick, he suddenly looks, it’s a goal.
Stellies and Barker feel robbed, demands VAR
“He’s got that decision to make – do I let it stand, do I not let it stand? He’s elected to let the goal stand, so [sigh] – VAR intervention, I believe, would have said, ‘Listen, re-take, re-start, it wasn’t taken at the right place, you were still speaking to the players,” Barker added.
“He hadn’t even seen what happened, hopefully, sanity would have prevailed and we would have had, maybe, an interesting extra-time [period].”
Should VAR be implemented this season?
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