Gareth Southgate fears England could be targeted by VAR in the World Cup.
Southgate is seeking urgent “dialogue” with FIFA as he believes they have already been the victims of a video nasty. England boss Southgate believes his team should have had a penalty against Iran after Harry Maguire was rugby-tackled to the ground but VAR did not intervene.
But the video officials awarded a penalty AGAINST England when John Stones and Eric Dier tangled with Mehdi Taremi who converted the spot kick.
Southgate’s worry is that refs were shown a video of an England goal before the tournament when Kalvin Phillips blocked off a defender to allow Maguire to score in a 5-0 win over Albania last November.
That example was used to show to refs what to be on the look-out for and now clearly there must be a fear that VAR officials will be keeping an extra eye out during England games. Southgate wants clarity over big decisions otherwise he feels his team could be penalised throughout the rest of the tournament.
Southgate said: “What worries me is we were used in an example in the referee's video. And what we were shown, the Harry Maguire incident in the first half, we were told that would be a definite penalty.
“In the second half, maybe there's a shirt pull, we've got to be better on that, but I'm a bit worried we were the example shown, and then to get a decision as happened in the first half, we need some clarification really as to how it's going to be.”
Southgate sought and got clarification from FIFA in the last World Cup as they were denied appeals in their opener with Tunisia - and then got TWO against Panama.
Southgate added: “We've got to have that dialogue with Fifa and just make sure... we want clarity, otherwise, we don't know where we stand.
“Goals are going in and we don't know whether they stand or not. The bit that worries me is we were the example we were shown.”
Refs have also been put on red alert over time wasting and are determined to add on injury time which explains the lengthy time against Iran.
That is a major crackdown in this tournament but England saw an extra 14 minutes added in the first half and then ten minutes in the second half but those lengthy injury times will become a regular feature.
