Sports
Neymar slams VAR, says handlers know nothing about football
Paris Saint-Germain forward, Neymar has strongly criticised the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after a late penalty decision resulted to his side’s ouster from the Champions League.
PSG were defeated 3-1 in Paris by Manchester United – a result that ensured that the Premier League side advanced to the quarterfinals.
Despite having a commanding lead in the tie following their 2-0 win away at Old Trafford, the French champions could not make it to the last eight.
Leading 2-1 at 90 minutes, Manchester United took advantage of a 94th-minute penalty decision awarded using VAR after Diogo Dalot’s shot struck Presnel Kimpembe on the arm.
Marcus Rashford stepped up to take the spot kick and won the tie for his side on away goals.
Read Also: ‘I ask our fans to forgive us’ – PSG captain Thiago Silva after UCL exit
Brazilian Neymar, who missed both legs of the tie due to injury, believes the handlers of the video technology know nothing about football.
“It’s a disgrace. Four guys who know nothing about football watch a slow-motion replay in front of the television,” the 27-year old raged in an Instagram story.
“What can [Kimpembe] do with his hand while his back is turned?”
The video technology was only recently (in the knockout stage) introduced to the Champions League, following a decision by UEFA during the group stage.
Meanwhile, PSG manager, Thomas Tuchel said in a post-match intervie: “I saw the ball flying straight from his (Dalot) foot and for me it was clear it was going way over the bar.
“What makes it super hard is I had the clear feeling the shot was not on target, and to get rewarded with a penalty, there is no logic.”
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...