Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho wants Premier League referees to use pitchside monitors to make more key decisions, but conceded yesterday that watching the same replays himself can push him over the edge. 
A clip of Mourinho and his assistant Joao Sacramento running to confront the fourth official after a video assistant referee (VAR) decision in Spurs’ 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday has gone viral on social media, and the Portuguese said emotion got the best of him.
“I think the fact that now it is allowed to have the screen in front of us is not good for our emotions,” Mourinho told a news conference ahead of today’s FA Cup fourth-round replay against Southampton. “We watch exactly the same (thing) as the VAR and... the referees don’t see it as well as we can. My reaction was just based on being able to watch everything on the screen... but okay, I went viral for the wrong reasons.”
Mourinho was unhappy when Raheem Sterling was shown a yellow card instead of red for a foul on Dele Alli and was further frustrated when the City forward escaped a second booking for simulation after City had missed a VAR-awarded penalty. “I was immediately very upset that Sterling didn’t get the red card and then that situation happened again and in one minute I was laughing and the next minute fuming,” he said.
Mourinho said on-field referee Mike Dean should have taken the call on the penalty himself and that Sterling escaping the second booking after going down under slight contact from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was another unacceptable VAR ‘mistake’. “In this moment, the referees that are in the pitch are not making the most important decisions of the game,” he added. “I don’t accept the mistakes by the video referee. When I play PlayStation I don’t make mistakes, I only make mistakes when I’m on the touchline. The referee... can make mistakes and I have full respect for them because it is very, very difficult. When they have time on the VAR it is more difficult to accept and we are being punished, very punished by decisions of the VAR.”
In contrast to other European leagues, referees have been advised not to use pitchside monitors to review their own decisions and are instead overruled by an official watching the game at the league’s VAR hub in London.
A survey released by YouGov yesterday showed that 67% of Premier League fans believe VAR has made football less enjoyable, while supporters are also in favour of the referee using the pitchside monitors.
“If the referees are not allowed to go to the screen and take the big decisions of the game, they have to change the name of the VAR and call it VR — video referee,” said Mourinho. “Give the referee the command and give him the possibility of going to the screen for the big decisions or change the name to VR. I don’t accept the mistakes by the video referee.”
Mourinho is hopeful Alli can shrug off the ankle injury he suffered from Sterling’s challenge to face Southampton in an FA Cup fourth-round replay today.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not taking charge of his side’s replay against League One Shrewsbury at Anfield, preferring instead to give his full senior squad an extended rest during their two-week winter break from the Premier League. Spurs are also on their winter break but Mourinho is seeking to win the club’s first silverware since 2008.
“I prefer to play tomorrow because to have them on holidays would mean we were knocked out,” said Mourinho. “It’s another extra effort for the boys, but I prefer (to play). We are in the competition so until we are, we are going to fight.”