Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers criticised the work of the VAR system after the defeat from Atletico (0:6) in the 4th round of the Champions League group stage. In the middle of the 1st half, the referee suspended Scottish midfielder Daijen Maeda. The referee initially showed him a yellow card, but changed the decision after VAR review.
Brendan Rogers"I was worried for the Celtic fans that night. You've paid hundreds of pounds for a trip to Madrid, you might have had a good day out in the city and you go to the game and 20-odd minutes later one of your players is suspended. It just spoils the game, absolutely spoils the game.
And I think we're starting to realise that better now. I said after the game that I feel it's becoming more like a computer game where everything is judged on a screen. It's not football.
If it continues to be like that, then of course it will have to be looked at, because in terms of players and fans and football in general, it's not the game we know and love.
I've been talking to people from England who work in the Championships, where there's no WAR, and they really like it. They realise there will be some mistakes, but the fluidity of the game seems to be a bit lost from constantly watching screens.
I consider myself a fairly patient person, so I know when something starts to annoy me, it means it's gone too far. Other coaches, frankly, behaved the same way until a few years ago.
I tend to want to give something time and see how it plays out, because everything deserves a chance. But if it's ruining the game, we have to pay attention to it.
Look, if you asked me now, I would get rid of it (VAR - note). But if money has been invested in it for the overall good of the game, which is to make it better, then you have to give it every chance.
But if you ask me now, I would go back to pure football and we know that where people are involved there will be mistakes. I'd rather go along with that than what we're seeing now," Rodgers said.
