Brighton fans slam 'parody' VAR penalty mistake in Tottenham defeat

Brighton fans were left fuming after the VAR denied their side a seemingly clear penalty against Tottenham on Saturday.

VAR has been used in the Premier League for a few years now, but this season barely a match has gone by without some sort of controversial decision overshadowing the action on the pitch.

Over the last few months there have been some glaring non-decisions made by the VARs, so much so that PGMOL have started punishing officials for poor performances.

After some questionable performances this season, former Premier League referee Mike Dean has not been selected for VAR duty for over two months now.

On Saturday, it was Brighton's turn to feel aggrieved by VAR decisions.

Roberto De Zerbi's side fell 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Harry Kane's late strike canceling out Lewis Dunk's first half equaliser.

However, 10 minutes earlier Brighton were adiment they deserved a penalty when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg appeared to trip kaoru Mitoma in the penalty area.

Referee Stuart Attwell took no action on the field, but despite looking at the incident, the VAR decided that the official had not made a clear and obvious error.

The visitors were already frustrated with the officials as they had two goals chalked off - one by VAR - for handballs in the build-up.

While those decisions looked far less cut-and-dry than the non-penalty incident, Brighton supporters and neutrals alike voiced their disbelief with the officials online.

"Premier League VAR is actually insane. Parody each single game now. It's vile even from a neutral perspective," one person said.

Expecting Brighton to receive an apology from the PGMOL after this decision. None of the ball and all of Mitoma’s foot. Baffling how it wasn’t given, and looking like it will cost Brighton massively here. pic.twitter.com/5CEFyqDsmg

— Emily Clogg (@emilyclogg) April 8, 2023

On the penalty incident, another said: "One of the clearest pens you will see all season. No idea how the VAR can look at this and then decide, that this is not a pen."

One supporter was absolutely scathing of the officials, saying: "I almost want to believe it’s match-fixing, there’s no way humans can be this incompetent."

Another said: "VAR doesn't help when you still have the same incompetent referees behind a screen."

It's a source of frustration for many fans and players alike that VARs are used to great effect in other sports like rugby, but in football there is so much inconsistency.

One fan suggested that "fans need the audio of the discussion with VAR," adding, "that would provide insight. Can’t see how this is not given, would love to hear them explain it."

Brighton are chasing European qualification, but with Spurs now seven points ahead of them, a place in the Europa League might be beyond them.