Former England captain Wayne Rooney would support the removal of video assistant referees (VAR), as Premier League clubs prepare to vote on rejecting the technology.
The decision on whether to scrap VAR for the upcoming season will be made at the league’s annual general meeting next month. Wolves have officially put forward a resolution to trigger the vote during the meeting of the 20 member clubs in Harrogate on 6 June.
Rooney, speaking on Sky Sports, expressed his preference for football without VAR, echoing sentiments shared by many in the sport.
“I don’t like VAR and if it’s there and they get all the decisions right then fair enough but it’s taken all the enjoyment out of the game,” he told Sky Sports.
“If you’re a goalscorer and you score a goal you have to wait to celebrate and the fans are having to wait to celebrate. It’s wrong.
“You’re better off letting referees ref it and understand they will make mistakes. I’d much rather see the game without it.”
Former Manchester United and Newcastle forward Andy Cole also said the technology has failed to improve the game.
“It’s spoiled the game. There’s far too much controversy surrounding it,” he said on Sky Sports. “They said it was going to make the game better but it’s made the game worse. It’s taken a lot of entertainment out of the game – celebrating a goal.”