- Gary O’Neil wants VAR chiefs to scrap confusing ‘clear and obvious’ rule
- There have been four decisions against Wolves in the Premier League season so far
- DOMINIC KING: I don’t understand what football is anymore – It all comes to the surface
Gary O’Neil has called on VAR chiefs to scrap the ‘clear and obvious’ statement which he says leads to countless bad decisions in technology.
The officials overseeing VAR are only asked to overturn the on-field referee’s decision if it is wrong beyond all reasonable doubt. Wolves have had to make four tough decisions this season and O’Neil held talks with referees boss Howard Webb last Sunday.
“I gave some of my ideas to Howard, whether he wanted them or accepted them or not,” Wolves head coach O’Neil said. ‘The ‘clear and obvious’ requirement makes it more difficult for the people who operate VAR.
‘It doesn’t have to be bright and clear. The VAR officials are probably thinking: ‘We don’t think it’s a penalty, but it’s not a clear foul either, so we’ll leave it at that.’ That is not the right solution.
‘The person in the hub should be able to override it after watching replays. We probably had four decisions go against us that shouldn’t have happened. That’s a lot in eleven games, but we also have to understand that we can be unlucky.’
Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil has called on VAR chiefs to scrap the ‘clear and obvious’ statement
O’Neil claims Wolves have been at a disadvantage on four decisions so far this season
O’Neil also revealed that the judging team that reviewed the previous weekend’s controversial decisions had determined that the stoppage time penalty that helped Sheffield United beat Wolves last Saturday should not have been awarded.
The Premier League’s five-man ‘Key Match Incidents’ panel ruled unanimously in Wolves’ favor – not that this helps O’Neil. “All five of them recognized that the decision was wrong,” he added. “Let’s hope they can spot the next one live, before the Tuesday review.”
