The timing was impeccable. Just 48 hours after Nottingham Forest‘s outrageous social media statement called the impartiality and integrity of Premier League referee Stuart Attwell into question, after they were denied three penalty appeals against Everton, UEFA announced that he had been appointed as a VAR for Euro 2024.
It perfectly illustrates the disconnect with refereeing today. Fans on social media call for Attwell to never referee again, and he’s selected to officiate at European football’s flagship tournament. Not to mention Forest have created a storm of criticism, yet two of the three decisions they complained about were correct.
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It’s easy to assume that it’s just a Premier League problem, that PGMOL — the body that controls refereeing in English football — has lost its grip and allowed standards to slip. But delve into other countries and you’ll quickly see there’s no difference.
LaLiga referee Jesús Gil Manzano — one of the most respected in Europe — will be on the plane to Germany in June, yet last month he controversially blew the final whistle seconds before Brahim Díaz crossed for Jude Bellingham to score and give Real Madrid what would have been a 3-2 win at Valencia. Manzano was removed from selection for the next round of games or, as they say in Spain: sent to the fridge.
When the Spanish FA tweeted to congratulate Manzano, it was greeted with a sea of abuse. “To the fridge after Mestalla and now the prize is the Euros?” one tweet read. “This is becoming more and more like a movie. It is a real embarrassment.”
“The shame of refereeing and Spanish football … rewarded for listening to the mafia and for corrupting themselves,” another post said.
“We apologise in advance to all the teams that will have to suffer from the poor standard and lack of professionalism,” another read.
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández, who was on VAR duty for one of the most controversial games in LaLiga this season when winless Almería were denied victory over Real Madrid by a series of video decisions, will also be at Euro 2024.
This is picking out just one country, but it’s the same everywhere. The reputation of referees has never been so low, and VAR has a lot to answer for.
