Fox Sports football commentator Simon Hill has slammed the use of the VAR after a number of controversial decisions during the opening weekend of the A-League season.
Melbourne City’s win over local rivals Melbourne Victory in Saturday night’s derby was overshadowed by a contentious first-half penalty decision awarded to City which led to their equalising goal scored by Ritchie de Laet.
Hill has called for video technology to be abolished as it is doing more harm than good for the game in Australia.
“I’ve been against it from day one," Hill told SEN Afternoons.
“I think it’s not helping the game, I think it causes unnecessary delays and confusion and at the end of it, are we still getting the right decisions?
MELBOURNE DERBY SHOWED BAD SIGN OF VAR: ANSELL
“I don’t care that people say: ‘we had 95 percent success rate at the World Cup’, you’re always going to get different interpretations of the rules and laws of the game, because it’s human beings who have to interpret the technology.
“This is not the game of football that I grew up loving, watching and wanting to be involved in – I think it’s a horrible development and I think it’s ruining the game.
“The referees and the VAR are bigger stars than the damn players, that can’t be right – it’s just wrong.
“Personally, I would like them to do away with it."
Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich described the penalty decision in the Melbourne Derby as "disgraceful" and called for referee Kurt Ams to be stood down for two weeks.
Listen to Simon Hill’s chat on SEN Afternoons with Brett Phillips in the player below