Anthony Taylor’s announcement that Fabian Schar’s late Newcastle goal v Brighton had been disallowed was “unnecessary”, Keith Hackett has claimed.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that there is no need for referees to communicate their decisions as well as the on-screen explanations.
This comes after the match official announced his decision to the fans inside St James’ Park before blowing his whistle and motioning that the goal had been ruled out.
It was a busy game for Taylor, who sent off both Anthony Gordon and Tariq Lamptey before the end of the 90 minutes and was given a number of big calls to make.
One of these came in a decision not to send off Brighton star Carlos Baleba for a foul on Newcastle’s Tino Livramento which many believed warranted a second yellow card.
Frustrations following the game have only increased after Eddie Howe’s side were defeated 2-1 and knocked out of the FA Cup fifth round after extra time.
Anthony Taylor’s Newcastle v Brighton call was a ‘waste of time’
Schar thought he had won the game for Newcastle with just minutes of added time remaining, before the goal was ruled out by an automated offside call.
This decision then saw referee Taylor make the formal announcement of the decision to the crowd at St James’ Park in what has been labelled an “unnecessary” step.
Match officials begun announcing VAR decisions to the fans in the Carabao Cup semi-finals – and plans are now in place to implement the change into Premier League games before the end of the season [via BBC].
However, with the VAR checks and results already displayed on the big screens across Premier League stadiums, the announcements are considered “a waste of time”.
This is particularly clear in offside decisions, when the decision is a clear indication of what has happened and needs no explanation.
Keith Hackett insists PGMOL’s VAR initiative is ‘unnecessary’
The PGMOL are keen to provide more insight to fans about the officials’ decisions to increase the understanding of supporters within the stadium.
This is due to frequent criticisms of VAR given the confusion it can cause for match-going fans, which the officials are looking to address and resolve.
However, Hackett does not believe announcements by the on-field official are a necessary step, labelling them “a complete waste of time”.
This was followed by a frankly unnecessary announcement to fans by Anthony Taylor.
“Frankly, it [referees announcing their decisions] is a complete waste of time.
“The slide goes up on the big screen saying ‘checking offside’ – if they then disallow the goal, the fans know what the outcome is.”
Newcastle’s next game is not until 10 March, allowing them extra days of rest following their 120-minute cup clash against Brighton.
Gordon will miss the game, as well as the EFL Cup final against Liverpool as a result of his red card, in a significant blow to Howe’s side’s chances.
