When Newcastle gave up a late penalty to tie 1-1 with PSG in the Champions League, VAR once again stole the show—for all the wrong reasons—leaving Jeff Stelling and Alan Shearer furious.
After yet another refereeing error cost Newcastle in the Champions League matchup against PSG, Jeff Stelling has stated that he wants VAR eliminated.
The former Soccer Saturday host jumped onto X in a fit of wrath after the Magpies gave up a late penalty that wasn’t supposed to be given, by the rules.
Deep into stoppage time, Tino Livramento’s outstretched arm blocked an attempted Ousmane Dembele cross in the box, but since the ball had already bounced off the Toon defender’s chest, there was no call for a foul.
Nevertheless, a VAR review led to the awarding of a penalty, which Kylian Mbappe duly scored to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half opening. In addition to preventing Newcastle from winning a historic match, the equalizer meant that they would now need to win their last group match in order to advance to the next round.
enraged, After the match, Newcastle great Alan Shearer posted on X, saying, “Do me a f***ing favour man.” “What a bunch of s***. #VAR,” Stelling retorted, “Al, the officials are spoiling the game. It makes me want to stop watching.”
Later on, Stelling, who is currently employed by talkSPORT, lost it: “It’s the people’s game.” How many people would be angry if VAR was eliminated? Not me.
While Newcastle had every right to feel unfairly treated, they were lucky to maintain the lead in the closing moments after being completely outclassed by PSG in the second half. At the completion of the match, the home team had 73% of the possession, 31 shots to Newcastle’s five, and an xG of 4.47.
Eddie Howe’s team now sits third in the group as a result of the loss, and in order to advance to the next round, they will need to defeat AC Milan the following month. They cannot control their destiny, though, since a Parisians victory over Dortmund—who have already qualified—will be sufficient to advance them.
