Football isn't the sport I played anymore. The game's gone.
This week, we learned that Fikayo Tomori can be sent off for tapping an opponent on the shoulder - but Omonia Nicosia's Moreto Cassama can stay on the park for a shocking, two-footed tackle. Earlier, on consecutive days in the Premier League, one defender (Dan Burn) was penalised for handball and conceded a penalty while another (Gabriel) got away with a near-identical incident.
At the other end of the pitch, a goal by West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca against Fulham was allowed to stand despite his handball leading directly to a goal. And Michail Antonio may have handled it TWICE before scoring to make it 3-1.
In many cases, VAR's application of the laws was wrong or negligent. And the inconsistency in that bunker at Stockley Park is absolutely infuriating – for players, managers, fans, pundits... everyone. I was all in favour of VAR when it was introduced, but now it's reached the stage where we need to bin it.
Instead of correcting clear and obvious mistakes, it's added a new layer of grievances and controversy, and I can't stand the inequality and disparity of their decisions. Tomori's red card in the AC Milan-Chelsea Champions League tie was a joke.
Let's leave aside the damage it might do to his chances of making England's World Cup squad – but it certainly won't have helped. Yes, he was caught on the wrong side of Mason Mount. And, yes, he put his hand on Mount's shoulder – but not enough to bring him down or prevent the Chelsea midfielder getting his shot away.
Is it time we ditched VAR? Have your say here
If that happens anywhere else on the pitch outside the box, that's not going to be adjudged as a foul. But referee Daniel Siebert, who seemed to issue more cards than the croupier in Casino Royale, decided it was a foul. Since it was in the box, a foul means he has to give a penalty. And since Tomori was not attempting to play the ball, according to the laws it means he has to give a red card. What an absolute nonsense.
Contrast Tomori's fate with Cassama's poor tackle on Casemiro in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Omonia on Thursday night: Two feet off the floor, catches the opponent on the shin, yellow card. VAR checks it but doesn't think it's sufficiently dangerous to be a red card.
So Cassama escaped because he was theoretically going for the ball, but Tomori was sent off because he wasn't? If that's justice, the laws need urgent revision. It's absolutely ridiculous, a complete shambles. If we're not careful, fans will be driven away from the game because too many decisions are being contrived.
Arsenal deserved to beat Liverpool last Sunday, but I didn't like the penalty decision which led to the winner one bit. What offence did Thiago commit? Yes, there was contact with Gabriel Jesus but, seriously: Was it enough to knock the Arsenal striker off his feet?
If we are not going to consign VAR to landfill – and I wish we could – it needs to be operated by more ex-players, people who have played the game at a high level.
Howard Webb will shortly be taking over from Mike Riley as English football's chief refereeing officer. I like Howard - he is a good man and hopefully he will bring a lot of common sense to the job. We want our football back.
