Troy Deeney accused, VAR is biased towards big sides

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Watford striker, Troy Deeney has stated that VAR decisions favour big sides.

Speaking after Manchester United’s weekend win over West Brom, the striker claimed that there is a ‘big club bias’ when it comes to VAR decisions in the Premier League.

Solskjær’s side secured a nervy one-nil win over West Brom on Saturday, thanks to a 56th-minute penalty by Bruno Fernandes.

The controversy surrounding the game has perhaps sometime questions the usefulness of VAR in football. Deeney has now claimed that bigger clubs are benefiting from VAR decisions.

With the game still poised at nil-nil, referee David Coote had awarded a penalty to the Baggies in the 47th minute, following a foul in the box by Fernandes. However, the referee later overturned the decision after consulting with VAR and the pitch-side monitor.

Moments later, the referee awarded a penalty to United which Fernandes scored at the second attempt as referee asked for a retake.

And Deeney who was analysing the weekend game with Laura Woods and Ally McCoist on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast had this to say:
“I think there is still a big club bias with VAR.”

“Why? Because you’ve still got the human element of the referees there. They’re operating it.”

“It happens. Look at the Man United game – the penalty has been changed. He gave a penalty, he went over there and wasn’t sure, and then he took the penalty away.”

“If that was Man United and Ally, please back me up here, if that was the other way around that penalty stands.”

The Englishman went further to say that referees are not explicitly to blame, though, as the bias towards bigger clubs has built up over many years. According to him, VAR appears to have made it even more apparent.