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WATCH: Mngqithi blasts VAR as Sundowns prepare for Petro rematch
'Human error is still there with VAR,' said the Sundowns co-head coach.
Manqoba Mnqgithi was unhappy with VAR in the first leg. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes the Video Assistant Referee system is not being used well enough in the Caf Champions League.
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Sundowns lost 2-1 to Petro Atletico in Luanda in the first leg of their Caf Champions League quarterfinal on Friday, with the second leg set to take place on Saturday at FNB Stadium.
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The Brazilians were left aggrieved by a couple of decisions in Angola. An ‘equaliser’ from Neo Maema was ruled out after the referee used VAR, and ruled that Mothobi Mvala had committed a foul in the build up.
Sundowns were also unhappy that a Petro player was not red carded early in the match, with the referee not using VAR after the Petro man appeared to bring down a through-on-goal Thapelo Morena.
“It is a little bit of a challenge, this thing of VAR, but it is something we (in Africa) have to adapt to,” said Mngqithi.
“We have seen it in the Euros, in the Uefa Champions League and in the EPL, but here it is still something a bit dubious. You expect the referee to go to the screen and make sure of what he thinks.
“In Africa they choose what they want to check. There was a foul on Thapelo in the first five minutes of the game. The last defender is the one that pulled him and you would expect the defender to get a red card. But if the referee is not sure he has to go and check (the monitor). If the referee does not even want to go and check, as if he is 100 percent sure, it is not proper.
“With the goal Neo scored, the referee is less than two metres away from the incident (Mvala’s foul). The camera angle is impeded by the position of the referee. But the referee is closest and deems it necessary to continue. He made the call up until three or four combinations later and we scored the equaliser.
“Suddenly he goes to VAR. It is a bit of an issue … maybe it is teething problems, we don’t want to make excuses. (But) in some instances referees have been making mistakes and have even gone to the screen and come back with the wrong decision. We have seen this in many instances. Human error is still there with VAR.”
