Iran coach Carlos Queiroz lambasts World Cup use of video assistant referee system on close calls
The controversial new system has come under fire from some quarters during this year’s tournament
“It’s a natural human thing when people make mistakes. VAR was not born to copy human mistakes. VAR was born to make it right,” said Queiroz, whose team had a goal overturned by video review in a 1-0 loss to Spain. “So, it’s not human to implement the system and come out with the same excuses that we had before. This is a question of principle.”
The system, he added on Sunday evening, should only be used to change “clear and obvious mistakes.”
In the minds of Queiroz and his players – not to mention a member of Iran’s staff who was hospitalised after the goal was overturned – VAR effectively changed a debatable judgement call, not an obvious mistake.
“It’s crucial and fundamental that a group of intellectual people are not intellectualising the game behind the scenes (and) nobody knows what’s going on. This is not good for the future of the game,” Queiroz continued. “The game must be clear. Everything must be obvious.”
Queiroz said he was hesitant to criticise the system because when coaches complain about refereeing decisions, “it sounds like excuses,” and because such complaints tend to be met with punitive measures that he compared to famously huge waves crashing on beachgoers in Portugal.
But Queiroz added that in this case, he felt the urge to speak out because of the size of the World Cup’s audience.
“The people deserve to know what are the rules of the game because this is a game of the people,” Queiroz said, adding that if he is indeed punished for speaking out, “I’ll be here to try to swim and survive.”
The replay system also has been a talking point in Portugal’s matches, particularly after Spain’s Diego Costa appeared to push defender Pepe during the teams’ World Cup opener, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
The Portuguese asked for a review and were not given one, but Pepe didn’t seem all that bothered by it, even though he remains convinced he was pushed.
“I believe the (VAR) hasn’t really harmed Portugal or any sides that have played Portugal,” Pepe said.