Exclusive:'Double standards' - Leeds United legend slams VAR after missing 'blatant' penalty vs Sunderland
Leeds United found themselves on the wrong side of a controversial VAR decision during Tuesday's defeat against Sunderland.
Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford has called out VAR’s ‘double standards’ following a frustrating and controversial midweek defeat at home to Sunderland.
Leeds were beaten 1-0 on Tuesday night thanks to a second-half Habib Diarra penalty, awarded for a handball by Ethan Ampadu. On-pitch referee Stuart Attwell initially waved away Sunderland claims for a spot-kick but was sent for a review by VAR assistant Paul Tierney, who deemed the on-pitch call a clear and obvious error.
Few would argue against that being the correct decision but for Leeds, the frustration comes when measuring that ‘clear and obvious’ threshold against an earlier incident. During a first-half set-play, Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien wrapped both arms around the neck of Pascal Struijk and pulled him down.
Struijk’s call for a Leeds penalty was waved away by Attwell but that was not the issue for Beckford, who instead pointed the finger at those in Stockley Park for not recommending a review. And that decision only became more frustrating once VAR was correctly used against Ampadu later in the game.
“It was extremely frustrating for a number of reasons,” Beckford exclusively told the YEP via Irish Casino. “Obviously, the result is disappointing but at the same time, I think one of the biggest frustrations is the seemingly double standards in the VAR.
“I hate calling out VAR. Lots of people were hammering the referee and the assistants [for missing O’Nien’s foul on Struijk]. I think that’s quite harsh because in the moment, there was a part of me that thought ‘oh, something's happened in the box, but I'm not sure what it was’. And when you watch it back where the VAR is supposed to get involved, it is clear, blatant and obvious.
“I mentioned double standards. Ethan Ampadu, the ball hit his hand. The second movement was handball, these things happen. Penalty was given. Frustrating, but rightly so, but it goes to VAR. There's no hesitation in going to VAR, because something happened in the box. Nobody's quite sure what it is, so let's go and double check it.
“When we see the same thing happen in the first half [O’Nien on Struijk] - which was blatantly obvious, far more obvious in my opinion - and it doesn't go to VAR, that is where the major frustration comes in. And then you double it up with what happened against City, it doesn't look good. It just leaves a really sour taste.”
Jermaine Beckford on Leeds United VAR ‘double edged sword’
There is one argument to suggest Leeds didn’t make enough of a fuss over O’Nien’s grapple, with Struijk the only player to seriously appeal. In the aftermath of Ampadu’s handball, Granit Xhaka and several of his Sunderland teammates surrounded Attwell, seemingly forcing the issue.
”For me, this is a double edged sword because on one hand, you can argue that when players surround the referee and everybody's getting in his face, it leaves the referee with no choice but to halt the game and have a look at what's happened,” Beckford added. “You've got to do it in today's game.
“But the other side of the coin is, do I want my players to stop playing football and start chasing a referee down? What does that look like? It looks like you're begging for something. I don't like it. But again, this is why VAR was introduced, to stop this from happening, to let the game flow naturally.
“So I don't want my players running up to and surrounding the referee, but at the same time we've got to find a way to make it so the referees have not got much choice. But again, VAR are watching the games. They're seeing the replays. They should take that pressure and that onus away from the referees. That’s my frustration.”