A fiery statement has been launched by the Celtic boss but the other gaffers have been far from happy previously.
He has stepped forward and called for its removal but what do other Premiership managers think of VAR?
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says that as of this moment, he would bin the technology that has proven to spark more controversy when it comes to refereeing decisions. It was brought in to remove any doubt over clear and obvious calls whistlers miss on the field of play but talk around refs has never been so high and managers are at breaking point over a string of debatable calls.
Almost every manager in the top flight has vented their anger over either a certain call made with the aid of VAR, or over how the tech is actually being run. It’s not just the Premiership where it’s happening as boss’ of Scottish clubs have also vented their frustration when it comes to calls in Europe. Here is what every top flight manager – including Rodgers – thinks of VAR.
Brendan Rodgers (Celtic)
Starting from the top down, Rodgers’ claims come after a midweek sending off for Daizen Maeda, whose tackle on Mario Hermoso was turned from yellow to red and contributed to a 6-0 Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid’s hands. He said: “If you ask me right now – I would get rid of it. Absolutely. But there’s money been invested in it for the greater good of the game that is supposed to make it better.
You have to give it every chance. But if you are asking me now, I’d go back to pure football. We know that when humans are involved you will have mistakes. We all make mistakes. But I’d rather accept that than what we see at the moment.”
Philippe Clement (Rangers)
The Belgian is only in a matter of weeks and hasn’t addressed the topic of VAR directly yet, but a rule courtesy of the tech has irked him. Connor Goldson was shown a yellow during Rangers’ 2-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague for a challenge that occurred despite the opposing man being offside, with the linesman’s flag down due to the rule on offsides running in conjunction with VAR. It meant he got carded and is now suspended for the next game against Aris Limassol because of a foul that didn’t count as a run of play.
