Latest news with #BobbyMadley
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Bobby Madley criticises VAR for removing emotion from football
Report: Referee Bobby Madley Says He 'Hates' VAR's Impact on Football Referee Bobby Madley has delivered a scathing assessment of VAR, stating that he 'hates' the technology and the way it has changed the emotional dynamic of football. Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival during an event on technology in sport, Madley expressed frustration at how video assistant referees have affected the in-the-moment joy of goal celebrations. Advertisement 'As a fan, hate it, hate it. Love the Championship, love League One – I'm still a fan,' said Madley. 'I love League One because you score a goal, you look at the referee, you look at the assistant, he hasn't put his flag up, it's a goal. 'It [VAR] takes that emotion away from it and football is a game where there could be one moment in the game, one goal, and that's it. 'To take that emotion away, to have to wait and wait, and what feels like an eternity, as a fan I'm not a huge fan of that experience.' Madley currently officiates in the English Football League and acts as a fourth official in Premier League matches. While VAR is widely used in England's top flight, it has not been introduced to regular EFL fixtures. IMAGO Madley's career and return to English football Madley's career has taken a complicated path. Between 2013 and 2018, he refereed 91 Premier League matches before being dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after sending a video that mocked a disabled person. Following that episode, he moved to Norway to officiate in the lower leagues. Advertisement In February 2020, he returned to English football as a National List referee. His return to the top flight has been limited, taking charge of one Premier League game in the 2022-23 season and another in 2023-24. He was not selected for any Premier League refereeing duties during the 2024-25 season. Commercial pressures behind VAR's introduction In his comments, Madley also pointed to the commercial forces driving VAR's implementation. He argued that the technology was introduced not because of fan or referee demand, but due to the financial interests of football's governing bodies and investors. 'There's so much money in football, it's business-driven. So any mistake is perceived to cost people money,' he said. Advertisement 'And I don't think most football fans were clambering over each other to get video technology. 'The players weren't, the referees weren't, but the people who run football, they are multimillion-pound and billion-pound people, and they had issues with referees getting things wrong.' This view brings into focus a larger debate within modern football: whether decisions driven by corporate stakeholders serve the spirit of the game or erode it. Madley's words reflect growing scepticism within the football community about the direction the sport is heading. While VAR was designed to reduce refereeing errors, many argue it has created its own issues by slowing down the game and sapping moments of joy and spontaneity. Advertisement 'I think we've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now',' Madley added. 'But we knew the monster that had been created. As referees, we knew what was coming.' His remarks will undoubtedly resonate with many fans, players and even officials who feel the soul of the sport is being sacrificed in the name of technical perfection.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League official sensationally breaks ranks and says he 'hates VAR'
Former Premier League referee - and now fourth official - Bobby Madley has claimed he "hates" VAR and the way it takes the emotion out of the game - insisting players and referees never wanted it introduced Premier League official Bobby Madley has spoken candidly and admitted he "hates" VAR as it takes the "emotion away" from the game. Referees have had the technology aiding them for six seasons now, but it remains incredibly divisive. Madley is a referee in the Football League and also serves as a fourth official for matches in the Premier League. Whilst he doesn't have the chance for VAR to intervene on the matches he referees, he's seen first hand how it is implemented in top-flight weekends. The official has opened up as a fan of the game and takes great joy in the emotion that comes lower down the pyramid, where a goal can be celebrated without fear of it being ruled out. It has become part and parcel of Premier League games to accept that goals, especially those with a contentious decision in the build-up, could be ruled out within minutes as VAR Madley, who was speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival during an event on technology in sport, said: "As a fan, hate it, hate it. Love the Championship, love League One - I'm still a fan. I love League One because you score a goal, you look at the referee, you look at the assistant, he hasn't put his flag up, it's a goal. "It [VAR] takes that emotion away from it and football is a game where there could be one moment in the game, one goal, and that's it. To take that emotion away, to have to wait and wait, and what feels like an eternity, as a fan I'm not a huge fan of that experience." Madley claims the introduction of VAR was money-driven with the sport's bosses desperate to try and eradicate every mistake with players nor referees wanting the technology to come into play. "There's so much money in football, it's business-driven," he added. "So any mistake is perceived to cost people money and I don't think most football fans were clambering over each other to get video technology. "The players weren't, the referees weren't, but the people who run football, they are multimillion-pound and billion-pound people, and they had issues with referees getting things wrong. I think we've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now'. But we knew the monster that had been created. As referees, we knew what was coming." Madley refereed 91 Premier League matches between 2013 and 2018 before he was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after sending a video mocking a disabled person to a friend. He headed to Norway and took charge of games in the country's lower league before accepting an opportunity to return to English football in February 2020. He took charge of one Premier League game in 2022/23 and another the year after, but did not referee a top flight match in 2024/25.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘I hate it, hate it' – Premier League official rages at VAR as referee says ‘we knew the monster that had been created'
REF Bobby Madley let rip at VAR, insisting its usage means football will never see another Sergio Aguero moment. And Madley slammed Prem chiefs for creating a 'monster' that is 'ruining' the beautiful game. 1 The Wakefield-born whistler, 39, who takes charge of EFL games and is a fourth official for top-flight matches, raged: 'Most fans weren't clambering to get video technology. 'Players weren't, referees weren't, but the multi-million pound people running football had issues with refs getting things wrong. 'But we knew the monster that had been created — we knew what was coming. 'We've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now'.' There have been a string of controversies since the technology was introduced in 2019. VAR Lee Mason was axed for failing to rule out a Brentford equaliser against title-chasing Arsenal in 2023 after 'forgetting' to draw the offside lines. Howard Webb's ref body, the PGMOL, issued an apology to Liverpool when VAR wrongly ruled out a Luis Diaz goal in a 2-1 loss to Spurs the following season. Aguero's famous final-game, stoppage-time winner clinched Manchester City's first title in 2012. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Madley added: 'That Aguero moment, where the ref was blowing, nobody's flagging, you are never going to see that again. 'Because everyone will panic as they check a potential offside 15 seconds ago. VAR takes that emotion away. I hate it, hate it." New footage sees raging Jude Bellingham KICK VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid's last-gasp defeat Martin Lipton's pro VAR view FAST forward 12 months to May 18, 2025. After 89 minutes at Molineux, Wolves, needing to win their last game of the season to stay up, are beating Manchester United, who require a point for Champions League football. A ball over the top sends Rasmus Hojlund racing away. The flag stays down. Hojlund scores. Wolves are relegated. And on the way home, the dejected Wolves fans see the still image on their phones. Hojlund was 2ft offside. No question. A shocker. It means at least a year in the Championship, £100million income drop, a firesale of the squad. While United bank an extra £50m. But it's OK. Every one of those fans, plus smiling boss Gary O'Neil and the Wolves board, will line up to say: 'No worries. It's what we voted for. Rough with the smooth.' Yes. And I've got a bridge to Ireland to sell you.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I hate it, hate it' – Premier League official rages at VAR as referee says ‘we knew the monster that had been created'
REF Bobby Madley let rip at VAR, insisting its usage means football will never see another Sergio Aguero moment. And Madley slammed Prem chiefs for creating a 'monster' that is 'ruining' the beautiful game. 1 Referee Bobby Madley has not held back when discussing VAR Credit: Getty The Wakefield-born whistler, 39, who takes charge of EFL games and is a fourth official for top-flight matches, raged: 'Most fans weren't clambering to get video technology. 'Players weren't, referees weren't, but the multi-million pound people running football had issues with refs getting things wrong. 'But we knew the monster that had been created — we knew what was coming. 'We've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now'.' READ MORE IN FOOTBALL There have been a string of controversies since the technology was introduced in 2019. VAR Lee Mason was axed for failing to rule out a Howard Webb's ref body, the PGMOL, issued an apology to Liverpool when VAR wrongly ruled out a Aguero's famous final-game, stoppage-time winner clinched Manchester City's first title in 2012. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Madley added: 'That Aguero moment, where the ref was blowing, nobody's flagging, you are never going to see that again. 'Because everyone will panic as they check a potential offside 15 seconds ago. VAR takes that emotion away. I hate it, hate it." New footage sees raging Jude Bellingham KICK VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid's last-gasp defeat VAR: Imagine the future... Martin Lipton's pro VAR view FAST forward 12 months to May 18, 2025. After 89 minutes at Molineux, Wolves, needing to win their last game of the season to stay up, are beating Manchester United, who require a point for Champions League football. A ball over the top sends Rasmus Hojlund racing away. The flag stays down. Hojlund scores. Wolves are relegated. And on the way home, the dejected Wolves fans see the still image on their phones. Hojlund was 2ft offside. No question. A shocker. It means at least a year in the Championship, £100million income drop, a firesale of the squad. While United bank an extra £50m. But it's OK. Every one of those fans, plus smiling boss Gary O'Neil and the Wolves board, will line up to say: 'No worries. It's what we voted for. Rough with the smooth.' Yes. And I've got a bridge to Ireland to sell you.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘I hate it, hate it' – Premier League official rages at VAR as referee says ‘we knew the monster that had been created'
The PGMOL has been forced to issue apologies for VAR mistakes VAR-CICAL 'I hate it, hate it' – Premier League official rages at VAR as referee says 'we knew the monster that had been created' REF Bobby Madley let rip at VAR, insisting its usage means football will never see another Sergio Aguero moment. And Madley slammed Prem chiefs for creating a 'monster' that is 'ruining' the beautiful game. Advertisement 1 Referee Bobby Madley has not held back when discussing VAR Credit: Getty The Wakefield-born whistler, 39, who takes charge of EFL games and is a fourth official for top-flight matches, raged: 'Most fans weren't clambering to get video technology. 'Players weren't, referees weren't, but the multi-million pound people running football had issues with refs getting things wrong. 'But we knew the monster that had been created — we knew what was coming. 'We've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now'.' Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Post-it notes Cost of sacking Postecoglou revealed with Spurs forced to pay out millions There have been a string of controversies since the technology was introduced in 2019. VAR Lee Mason was axed for failing to rule out a Brentford equaliser against title-chasing Arsenal in 2023 after 'forgetting' to draw the offside lines. Howard Webb's ref body, the PGMOL, issued an apology to Liverpool when VAR wrongly ruled out a Luis Diaz goal in a 2-1 loss to Spurs the following season. Aguero's famous final-game, stoppage-time winner clinched Manchester City's first title in 2012. Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Madley added: 'That Aguero moment, where the ref was blowing, nobody's flagging, you are never going to see that again. 'Because everyone will panic as they check a potential offside 15 seconds ago. VAR takes that emotion away. I hate it, hate it." New footage sees raging Jude Bellingham KICK VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid's last-gasp defeat
