#var

#var

Referees and match officials have been in the spotlight once again this week after some controversial decisions in Barcelona's defeats to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey and Girona in La Liga. Yet it's been happening all season long and not just in La Liga. Games across Europe are often being overshadowed by big decisions that have left fans fuming.

The lack of pressure on Scott Parker this season, despite a collection of desperate performances and an impending relegation, has been mystifying. Plenty at Turf Moor feel a strong sense of loyalty to Parker, especially the chairman, Alan Pace, but support in the stands is dwindling. The lack of backing in the winter transfer window left the squad short of quality and with limited routes out of their current predicament.

After a day full of long delays, mixed messages and irate managers in early February, ex-Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Match of the Day: "For the good of the game, you'd have VAR gone. "The problem is what it is doing to the games, to the spectacle, with the amount of time it takes to get there. "Do you want more right decisions or do you want a more free-flowing football experience that is genuine and spur of the moment?"

Has there ever been a better advert for the video assistant referee (VAR)? Newcastle's 3-1 FA Cup fourth round win at Aston Villa was full of controversy with VAR once again the big talking point - even though it wasn't even in use. For this season and the previous FA Cup campaign, it has not been used until the fifth round, with many fans looking forward to a return to football without interruptions from technology.

"I'm sorry that I gave away the penalty. We were playing well at that point. It didn't feel like a foul to me. There's always some contact in a tackle, but after looking at the footage and consulting VAR, that's how it turned out," said Lynen.

At the centre of the storm was referee Jesus Gil Manzano, whose handling of the match visibly frustrated the Barcelona players. Throughout the contest, the referee's decisions appeared to go against Flick's side at key moments, gradually increasing tension on the pitch. A lot of talking points Marginal offside calls, several fouls that went unpunished, and a heavy challenge by Carlos Soler on Pedri all contributed to a sense of injustice from the visiting side.

Tammy Abraham thought he had made a goalscoring return, his first since winning promotion from the Championship seven years ago, but then it was all eyes on the referee, Tim Robinson, and the big screens that indicated a review. At Stockley Park, the video assistant referee, Paul Tierney, rewound the clock by 19 seconds, to the moment Leon Bailey, at the opposite end of the pitch, was deemed to have failed to keep the ball in play.

The issues began in the 11th-minute of stoppage time, shortly after Enzo Fernández had scored. West Ham winger Adama Traoré threw Marc Cucurella to the ground and then clashed with João Pedro, who came in to defend his teammate. The melee saw a host of other players arrive on the scene and Traore and Pedro were cautioned, but a VAR check saw West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo dismissed for putting his hands around the throat of Pedro.

"After review, the ball hits the arm of the Wolves player, which is in a natural position so the on-field decision will remain," he announced over the tannoy. Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann said it was "without doubt the correct decision". "Hallam, officiating in his first Premier League match, made an excellent and courageous call to stick with his on-field decision of no handball," Cann told BBC Sport.

Andrea Colombo will officiate the game between AC Milan and Roma tomorrow evening. For the Rossoneri, it's a chance to improve their record with the referee. After 21 games, Milan have an impressive 46 points to their name and haven't lost since the opening round against Cremonese. However, Inter are currently six points ahead of the Rossoneri, so beating Roma tomorrow will be crucial.

If approved the trial will begin when the 2026 season of the Canadian Premier League kicks off in April. Wenger, who has been Fifa's head of global football development since 2019, proposes that there should be a complete gap between the attacker and the second-to-last opposition player - effectively the last defender, given the goalkeeper's usual positioning. Critics have suggested that daylight offside will give too much advantage to the attacking team.

The Portugal international had closed down Jeremy Doku by the touchline. He stretched out a leg to try to intercept the ball but made contact with his studs on the knee of the Manchester City winger. Referee Anthony Taylor booked Dalot. The video assistant referee (VAR), Craig Pawson, backed up the on-field decision saying the contact was "glancing and not with excessive force".

I'm probably more angry with the [appeals] panel who thought that was the case. I have to question the three [people on the panel]. I know who the three are and I'm amazed they in some way didn't overturn it. Three games for what shouldn't have been any games. I'm more embarrassed for the VAR. This is a young referee doing only his third or fourth game and VAR gave him a terrible decision.

"I think it's not deliberate tugging of the hair, certainly not violent, certainly not aggressive," he said. "This was done in an action in the game, on a ball coming up, and unless you have played the game, you might not understand. "I have been a centre-half and there is no way I am jumping to outjump a big centre-forward and think: 'By the way, I am going to outjump him and, at the same time, I am going to pull his hair'.

Every player at this summer's World Cup will have their own physically accurate AI avatar that will be used in taking VAR decisions. The innovation, which will involve every player being digitally scanned and leaves the possibility of size mattering in future offside calls, was part of a package of technological measures announced by Fifa's president, Gianni Infantino, as he made a keynote appearance at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.

As per the competition rules, the teams participating in the Spanish Super Cup cannot face each other until the quarter-finals. As such, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club were going to avoid each other in the Round of 16. Moreover, the rules stipulate that the four teams will face opponents from the lowest divisions active in the competition. It meant Barça could face one of Deportivo La Coruna, Cultural Leonesa, Racing Santander, Albacete and Burgos.

For me it is a joke. I just saw it again and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that, I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world, and we are all fighters and warriors. But this looks more like basketball when you can't touch the player.