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Mixed martial arts We need to accept that referees will make mistakes says Silvestre
Here at bettingexpert, Devang Prasard sat down with former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre. The pair discussed the spate of controversial referee and VAR incidents that have dominated almost all football related conversations in this first part of the season.
In this article:
- Public letter was over the top
- We need to accept referees will make mistakes
- VAR is putting more pressure on referee’s
- Arteta’s reaction was understandable
- Safer Gambling
Arsenal’s public letter was over the top
Arsenal and their manager, Mikel Arteta, have been thrust into the limelight following a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. Controversy arose when VAR awarded a goal to Newcastle’s Antony Gordon, despite claims the ball had gone out of play beforehand. The VAR review lasted an extensive four minutes and six seconds, examining three potential reasons to overturn the goal.
Arteta expressed outrage at the decision post-match, calling it “embarrassing.” Arsenal reinforced this sentiment with an official statement on Sunday. While Silvestre empathises with Arsenal’s frustrations, he considers the club’s formal response excessive.”
“I think that everybody is putting pressure on the referees. Before the game in interviews, during the game, off the pitch. There’s always pressure. It’s part of the equation, it’s part of the game.”
“Honestly I think it wasn’t a goal and I understand the frustration. If you don’t say anything then that means you accept the decision.”
“In regards to the club writing a letter, the fact that it goes public, yeah it’s a bit over the top.”
“We’re talking about football. It’s not a declaration of war against the referees.”
“It’s pure frustration, trying to address the issues. But you know when you have to make a decision on the spot, when you have a split second, of course there will be mistakes.”
We need to accept referees will make mistakes
Some argue that football should accept referees’ errors as they add to the game’s entertainment and unpredictability, and that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) detracts from this aspect. Others think that the use of VAR in the Premier League needs to be revamped. Silvestre aligns with the view that mistakes are part of the game, indicating his disfavour towards VAR.
“So what do you need after? Do you need another control on the VAR system, on the people who are there? We will never see the end of it. So you have to accept that in the game, at such a high speed, at the highest level, mistakes will happen and we can’t have zero errors in a football game.”
“It’s just how it is.”
“Now everybody has made a comment. Now you move on to the next game and you hope to be on the good side of the decisions. At some point in the season, it will be in your favour and in other games, it will go against you.”
VAR is putting more pressure on referees
The introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) aimed to ease the referee’s job and assist in making accurate decisions. However, this raises questions: Has VAR compromised the spontaneity of football? More critically, if incorrect decisions persist despite VAR, its utility must be scrutinised—why retain a system that doesn’t eliminate errors?
“For the players it doesn’t change anything because the game is gone. You played the game, you played 90 minutes and the fact that the manager is having a go at the referees, it’s not going to change the players’ behaviour, their mentality, the way they prepare for the next game.”
“So, the point is, when you do that, you want to show your frustration, you express it and then you want things to be treated in a better way and decisions to go your way for the next game.”
“I think there was restructuring on the referees’ side, worldwide, when VAR was introduced. It was to help the referees but now it looks like it’s putting more pressure on them because they’ve got to make decisions by themselves and then they have to listen to what other people think and it affects their own performance.”
“So, I think these types of situations don’t reflect on the entire season. It’s just an incident in one game.”
“In one goal, you had to use VAR three times, it’s a type of a situation that is very unique and you cannot expect it to happen every time.”
Arteta’s reaction was understandable
Arteta has faced criticism for his response to decisions that allegedly disadvantaged Arsenal, particularly when contrasted with North London’s managerial counterpart, Ange Postecoglou. Postecoglou displayed empathy and an appreciation for the challenges faced by referees in today’s game, marking a stark difference to Arteta’s approach.
“For the managers, they all have their own personality and the way they express themselves. Mikel is pretty calm in the aftermath but this time you also have to put the game in context. He was extremely heated on the pitch and it was very heated between the players. It was a dogfight at some point and yeah he was disappointed to lose points.”
“When you’re vying for the title and you place and you place so much pressure and demand on yourself, you can have these types of reactions. So, I can understand that.”
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