Football news - VAR + handball = death of football

Sure, only a team of immense bottling quality would allow themselves to be in a position like this again. When you’re outdone by a midfield containing Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira, having spent over £400m in two seasons, it’s probably time for your Champions League adventure to end. Sorry, PSG.

But in those circumstances?

Let’s get one thing clear: it was never, ever a penalty. And, for the avoidance of doubt, here's why:

Slow-motion once made the beautiful game more beautiful; bringing flicks and tricks to the masses, allowing fans to savour a shot rippling into the top corner. But now? Its primary purpose is to destroy football – every tackle appearing worthy of a straight red, every handball blatant.

Here’s what happened: Kimpembe charged out to block a shot, turning as he jumped. The ball struck his hand, in a perfectly natural position for balance, from close-range. It was all over in 0.1 seconds.

Here’s what VAR wanted us to see: Kimpembe charged out to block a shot, turning as he jumped AND sticking his arm out deliberately... *slows footage down*... 'Look how much time he had to move his arm.'

It’s not the first time VAR has needlessly intervened on a huge stage. It’s rarely recalled, largely due to the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe (awkwardly missing on Wednesday evening), but Ivan Perisic was found guilty of a similar offence in the 2018 World Cup final as Croatia succumbed to France.

The main issue? VAR is being applied incorrectly. From the official handout:

How was Damir Skomina's decision to award a corner a clear error? VAR’s role isn't to offer a subjective opinion, it's to correct those decisions which are so horrible they can be overturned in 20 seconds and the flow of football resume.

Surely the rules for VAR and handball working in unison need a retune:

Don’t just slow down the footage until you convince yourself it’s a penalty. That’s not how football should work.

Of course, you may (somehow) think it’s a handball – mainly those who subscribe to Gary Lineker’s proposed manifesto ‘if it hits the arm, it’s a foul’, but that would change football, and not for the better.

Why bother opening up a defence when you could take a speculative shot and hope it flicks an arm? Why bother dribbling past an opponent when you could just try and whack the ball against their hand?

A dystopian future is on the horizon. Where defenders have to dodge shots; where fans get VAR printed on the back of shirts; where 20 minutes of added-on time becomes the norm. The beautiful game... no longer beautiful.