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Ex-Premier League referee suggests VAR will be scrapped as Wolves howler analysed - 'it's a joke'
Keith Hackett has slammed referee Paul Tierney and VAR official Stuart Atwell for their part in denying Wolves a penalty against Brentford on Saturday (15 April).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee claimed VAR should be scrapped for the 2023-24 campaign if PGMOL chief Howard Webb cannot show significant improvements.
As seen in footage posted to YouTube by Sky Sports (15 April), Wolves were denied a penalty by referee Paul Tierney after Toti Gomes was taken out by David Raya inside the penalty area.
Tierney waved away appeals from the home side, and VAR official Atwell chose not to intervene and recommend an on-pitch review.
Wolves went on to win the game 2-0 through goals from Diego Costa and Hwang-hee Chan to ease their relegation worries.
The Molineux club are now seven points clear of the drop zone with seven games to play.
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Hackett told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “Both the referee and VAR official are to blame here.
“This is a penalty kick which would have been given by a kid in the park.
“Howard Webb has got to sort it. This is a basic refereeing error, compounded by the VAR insurance policy not coming in.
“If either of them didn’t see that as a clear and obvious error, then it’s beyond me to say where refereeing is going.
“This was as bad as it gets. And guess what? It was Stuart Atwell on the VAR… take him off it.
“Until the PGMOL form a specialist panel of VAR operators, it’s going nowhere. I keep saying it.
“There’s no improvement here. It’s a joke.
“I’m for technology, but if we can’t improve it by the end of the season – we should bin it next season. That’s how bad it is.”
In other news, Wolves now set to complete club-record deal this summer.