Bobby Madley Morgan Rogers Altay Bayindir, PGMOL Aston Villa Man United
Credit: Reuters/Andrew Yates / Sky Sports via YouTube
Keith Hackett
Sat 7 June 2025 14:35, UK
Bobby Madley will be in “serious trouble” with the head of PGMOL Howard Webb after his stunning comments about VAR, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that whilst the official’s views on VAR will land him in hot water, many fans will “support his claim”.
Since its introduction, the technology that was meant to eradicate refereeing errors once and for all has instead become the most widely debated aspect of football.
On the final day of the Premier League season, VAR overshadowed Man United’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa that ultimately cost Unai Emery‘s side a place in the Champions League next season.
With the score tied at 0-0, Morgan Rogers poked the ball out of Altay Bayindir’s hands, but as the England international rolled the ball into the Red Devils’ goal, referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle, halting play.
Replays showed the Turkish goalkeeper never had control of the ball, but the referee’s decision to stop play before the 22-year-old’s shot had hit the back of the net meant that VAR could not intervene.
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In the same game, Emi Martinez was sent off for clattering into Rasmus Hojlund, but Hackett exclusively revealed to Football Insider that there was a foul on Villa defender Matty Cash in the build-up that was missed by both the referee and VAR.
These were just two standout incidents in a season mired by PGMOL’s inability to consistently make correct officiating decisions, in spite of having the ability to check replays from multiple angles.
Howard Webb, PGMOL
Howard Webb took over as chief of PGMOL in 2022. (Credit Imago)
Referee Bobby Madley reveals he ‘hates’ VAR
Madley, speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival, revealed he “hates” VAR and is instead a fan of the lower leagues of English football, where the technology is not in use.
He said via The Mirror: “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.”
The official also claimed that VAR’s introduction was financially motivated, despite neither officials nor players wanting the technology to be introduced.
He said: “There’s so much money in football, it’s business-driven.”
“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.”
Unai Emery Aston Villa
Aston Villa missed out on Champions League qualification thanks to their loss against Man United. (Credit: Imago)
Keith Hackett gives verdict on Bobby Madley’s remark
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett was amazed by Madley’s comments, but was also of the opinion that many football fans will be in agreement with the official.
He said: “This is an amazing statement by PGMOL referee Bobby Madley, and he will no doubt find himself in serious trouble with his boss.
“Many fans will support his claim, for there can be no doubt that his observations are a true reflection of the negative impact of this piece of technology on our game.”
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