Fulham boss Marco Silva has laid into the VAR decisions given against his side during their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. Goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez gave the hosts the three points in a game that was shrouded in controversy.
The Cottagers initially took the lead through 18-year-old Josh King, but the youngster’s first senior goal was controversially ruled out after VAR decided there was a foul in the build-up on Trevor Chalobah. There were also question marks surrounding Pedro's goal, which came in the ninth minute of first-half added time. Silva has now made his feelings clear and hasn’t held back with his frustration.
Silva Lays Into VAR
Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Silva had to hold himself back from delivering too much of a scathing critcism as he shared his thoughts on the decisions.
"For someone who loves football, I feel sad. It's clear. With millions of people watching on TV and I saw my team playing outstanding football. After what happened last week with us in the game with Manchester United. All the controversy from the game. It is almost impossible for me to think it will be balanced. All the decisions from the referee and the VAR made a massive impact on the game.
"VAR is not here to referee the game. It was not something unbelievable to rule out that goal. It has to be unbelievable. I don’t want to say anymore because I’ll be punished."
Several fans took to social media post-match to praise Silva's comments, with one saying: "Marco Silva carried himself very well in that interview," while a second added: "Marco Silva, hats off, superb post match interview!"
A third added: "Very good interview from Marco Silva. I agree with what he said 100%," while a fourth chimed in with: "Marco Silva far more composed than I (and many others) would be." This was also shared by a fifth who stated: "Marco Silva speaking a lot of sense here..."
A more detailed response from a sixth read: "Marco Silva bang on. Also if you’re gonna put a mic in front of people after a game expect them to be annoyed. So stop punishing managers for speaking the truth and giving them bans and start listening to their concerns and start putting pressure on the officials."
A seventh also summarised: "Marco Silva bang on. Also if you’re gonna put a mic in front of people after a game expect them to be annoyed. So stop punishing managers for speaking the truth and giving them bans and start listening to their concerns and start putting pressure on the officials."