Antonio Konte | Photo: Totenhemas “Hotspur”
The coach of the English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte, believes that the VAR system is seriously damaging the game of football.
It has already been reported that on Wednesday, in the UEFA Champions League Subgroup D game, Hotspur drew 1:1 (0:1) with Lisbon “Sporting” from Portugal. The home side looked set to win in stoppage time after Harry Kane scored, but the goal was disallowed by the VAR (Video Assistant Referee). A win for Hotspur would ensure entry into the playoffs of the tournament.
Conte got really angry after the disallowed goal and got involved in an argument with the referee, for which he received a red card and will likely be forced to miss the decisive match for the exit from the subgroup away to Olympique de Marseille from France. “I think VAR is doing a lot of harm,” Conte said after the match. “I would like to see if we were another big club in another big stadium, would such a goal really not count? Such situations cause a lot of damage to clubs and football.”
Before the decisive round in Group D, “Hotspur” is in the first position with eight points, followed by “Sporting” and “Eintracht” Frankfurt with seven points, and “Olympique” is fourth with six points.
32 teams play in the main tournament of the UEFA Champions League. The two best teams from each subgroup will advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed team will continue their season in the UEFA Europa League knockout tournament. In the final of the 2021/2022 season competition in Paris, “Real” Madrid beat “Liverpool” 1:0.
