Sir Alex Ferguson hit the nail on the head in one way long before Manchester United’s latest Premier League encounter against Manchester City.
The iconic 84-year-old former Manchester United manager was at Old Trafford on Sunday evening for the first Manchester derby of the 2026-27 campaign.
Sir Alex Ferguson took his place in the directors’ box alongside the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and witnessed Man Utd’s 1-0 defeat to 10-man Manchester City.
Michael Carrick faces his own woes after United’s setback to Man City, but the Premier League fixture reinforced Ferguson’s position on VAR for a long time.
Five years on from Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘bloody disaster’ comments around VAR, Man Utd and Man City’s result came with controversy
Manchester City walked away with three Premier League points at the weekend, but the main talking point was rightfully the controversial winner from the clash.
Erling Haaland’s second-half winner left everyone, ranging from United fans to pundits, trying to work out how VAR did not rule out the Man City striker’s effort.
Manchester United lost out on points because of VAR and Michael Carrick was deeply frustrated about the Red Devils’ 1-0 defeat in Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, could not have been more validated by the role of VAR in the football landscape.
The United legend already had issues with VAR back in 2020 during a controversial incident involving Illan Meslier and Ben Mee in Leeds United’s 1-0 win over Burnley.
“It’s a bloody disaster,” he told The Daily Mail in 2021.
“I watched the Leeds versus Burnley game the other week — Burnley had a goal disallowed when their own player was fouled by the goalkeeper. Unbelievable.”
If Ferguson lambasted the actions of VAR and referee Robert Jones for what happened at Elland Road, then a penny for his thoughts about Sunday’s incident.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments are a reminder that VAR is not fit for the role it is intended to play
Man City fans will be delighted that their side are keeping pace with Arsenal after Sunday’s results, while United supporters are now left licking their wounds.
The fact that VAR failed to see that Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play and impacting Senne Lammens before Erling Haaland’s effort spoke volumes.
The Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref apologised for the error in the aftermath, but that reaction offers United no benefits for the short term.
The Pro Ref, formerly the PGMOL, only showed that Ferguson’s remarks from 2020 have aged like a fine wine for how much of a ‘disaster’ that VAR has been in football.
VAR simply seems to exist as a means to an end rather than adding value to the sport or enriching the experience for fans after its ongoing errors in matches.
Ferguson was fortunate to be managing Man Utd at a time when VAR did not impact him, but he is unfortunate to watch it now cause problems for the Red Devils as a fan.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/dLIivwP