Sampdoria President Massimo Ferrero complained VAR is “making live football more like going to the cinema. Referees will lose their authority.”
The club owner is a movie producer, but was unhappy with some of the decisions made in a 2-1 defeat to Juventus on Saturday.
“It’s true we all wanted VAR to be introduced, but it was meant to be a corrective for big errors, a way of helping the referee,” Ferrero told news agency ANSA.
Sampdoria President Massimo Ferrero complained VAR is “making live football more like going to the cinema. Referees will lose their authority.”
The club owner is a movie producer, but was unhappy with some of the decisions made in a 2-1 defeat to Juventus on Saturday.
“It’s true we all wanted VAR to be introduced, but it was meant to be a corrective for big errors, a way of helping the referee,” Ferrero told news agency ANSA.
“Now there is a problem, as we can’t expect to interrupt a game six or seven times even for minimal incidents. The referee will progressively lose his authority this way.
“VAR cannot be the sole protagonist. When we go to the stadium, we know there is the possibility of seeing one game on the pitch and one on the television screen. We’ve got to get back to giving the main authority to referees.”
There were several incidents that caused controversy in Juve’s 2-1 win over Sampdoria, including two penalties and a last-gasp equaliser ruled offside.
“When we scored for 2-2, the linesman started moving towards the centre-circle, but then the VAR intervened… The issue goes beyond Juve-Samp, as this is transforming football.
“In my view, technology is creating some tension within the referees and is no longer becoming an instrument to aid objective interpretation. It’s making live football more like going to the cinema.
“We have to adjust the rules on VAR, to clarify if it’s the referee on the field or the one in the booth who makes the decisions. You can’t have one game on the pitch and one on the TV, with directors pulling the strings.
“We must adjust the positioning of the television cameras too, as the angle of the footage can make a huge difference.
“Don’t get me wrong, refereeing is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, but I get the impression sport has become unnatural.”