The Magpies squad and fans were fuming after a series of questionable on-field decisions by the referee and his assistant
Lucas Digne of Aston Villa is shown a yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park
Lucas Digne of Aston Villa is shown a yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park(Image: Getty Images)
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Referee Chris Kavanagh is set to miss out on overseeing any top-flight game this weekend after a series of blunders left fans fuming - and some readers in the Chronicle Live comments section say that this 'punishment' is still not enough to satisfy them.
Kavanagh and his assistants were roundly slammed for their performance in the 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup Fourth Round tie on Saturday. There was no VAR to fall back on, as is the case for every Fourth Round match, so the on-pitch decisions stood.
They failed to spot Tammy Abraham was offside for Villa’s opening goal, missed a shin-high tackle by Villa full-back Lucas Digne on Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy which could have warranted a straight red card and then gave a free-kick for a handball by Digne even though he was clearly inside the penalty area at the time.
Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show podcast, Rooney said: “I think there’s over-reliance on VAR. And unfortunately, now the officials are used to that and where they’ve been getting their help and it’s been getting them out of jail at times or they’re waiting for that to make the decision."
Ex-ref Graham Scott, who was a guest on the podcast, disagreed, and hit back at the criticism as he moved to defend the match officials.
"Obviously I work with them closely and I know these guys and they’re not like that," he responded. "It’s not how their minds work, not how their processes work. I spent half my career with VAR and half without it."
Despite Kavanagh and one of his assistants, Nick Greenhalgh, being stood down this weekend, missing out on a prestigious Premier League game is not punishment enough for some fans.
Reader Mr Stevo says: "Managers can lose jobs because of match results. Refs should be fined like players." Adaz312 adds: "A predictable and obvious outcome given the shocking decisions made during the Villa game."
Commenter Leazesend1984 writes: "The way they performed was up there with the worst I’ve seen in any football match in all levels of the sport. I’ve seen refs stumble on the pitch after a good night out perform better than that while watching Sunday league."
Anne Brown1952 says: "Lucas Digne must be embarrassed & Villa have kept very quiet. Has their manager not got anything to say or was he proud of their performance?"
Paranoidandroid writes: "In some respects it was useful that this game was shown live on a major terrestrial TV channel - people who wouldn't normally watch a game involving Newcastle now know what we are saying about the referees in England. This guy is one of the 'elite' referees - that should wake people up to what we have been saying for years!"
Hotmog69 says: "If it was just one incident, you could possibly forgive the ref and linesman... but for there to be 3 or 4 HUGE decisions to go the wrong way, then I'm sorry but they deserve the scrutiny and punishment that comes their way. We're talking about English Premier League and European elite refs and linesmen here, not Conference League South or FA Vase refereeing."
Jonnythebrave writes: "If the other games played without VAR had the same issues, then it might be credible to say referees were too reliant on VAR, but no other game had the officials deliver such huge decisions, all against one side, that were so badly wrong."
Davy9 suggests a change: "How about the ref has a device on his person to check he gets a major decision correct? Ref goes to the centre spot and no player is allowed in the centre circle while he reviews it. This should only be shown at original speed and only from his body-worn video."
Using the comments section below, tell us if you think that referees are becoming too reliant on VAR to make big decisions on the pitch.