Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has launched a significant critique of modern officiating, suggesting referees have grown excessively reliant on Video Assistant Referee technology. This criticism follows a controversial FA Cup fifth-round encounter where his team secured a 3-1 victory against ten-man Aston Villa at Villa Park, despite what appeared to be multiple erroneous decisions from the match officials.
A Night of Officiating Controversy
With VAR not in operation for the cup tie, referee Chris Kavanagh and his assistant team were at the centre of a storm after seemingly making at least three major incorrect calls during the match. These blunders could have easily derailed Newcastle's progression in the competition, highlighting what Howe perceives as a growing problem in the game.
Key Incidents Under Scrutiny
The litany of questionable decisions began early when Tammy Abraham's opening goal for Aston Villa was allowed to stand, despite appearing clearly offside in real-time. The controversy deepened when Kavanagh opted not to show a red card to Villa defender Lucas Digne for a dangerous, shin-high challenge on Newcastle winger Jacob Murphy.
However, the most egregious error occurred after halftime when Kavanagh and assistant referee Nick Greenhalgh incorrectly judged a handball by Digne to have occurred outside the penalty area. Replays suggested the infringement took place at least three yards inside the box, which should have resulted in a penalty kick for Newcastle.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney, commentating on the match, described this particular decision as "one of the worst decisions I have ever seen in football... it's an absolute shocker."
Howe's Analysis of VAR Dependency
Speaking after the match, Howe elaborated on his concerns about how VAR has altered refereeing psychology. "I think there's an argument to say that, because when VAR is there, there's always a, 'Well, I won't give that, but let's check it,'" he explained. "And I think then your decision-making maybe isn't as sharp as it may normally have to be so maybe there's a difference there."
The Newcastle boss expressed conflicted feelings about the technology, acknowledging both its benefits and drawbacks. "I'm always torn on VAR. I said this many times because I still love the emotion, even tonight, when a goal is given and you don't see a flag or a referee, it's a goal, and no-one's going to take it away from you," Howe reflected. "That joy that you get in that moment, I still really love and VAR takes it away. But then on the other side, I was wishing there was VAR on the first goal against us, and probably throughout that game."
Howe conceded that VAR generally produces more accurate outcomes, stating "It does make the game more concise in terms of decision-making and those moments, you have to respect that they're worth their weight in gold." However, he concluded firmly that "with without VAR, I thought there was a lot of errors" in this particular match.
Newcastle's Resilient Response
Despite the contentious officiating, Newcastle demonstrated remarkable composure to overturn Villa's early advantage. The turning point came when Kavanagh correctly dismissed Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot for a professional foul on Murphy near the centre-circle, reducing the home side to ten men.
Newcastle capitalised on their numerical superiority in the second half. Sandro Tonali equalised from the resulting free-kick—which many argued should have been a penalty—before adding a spectacular second with a long-range strike. Substitute Nick Woltemade sealed the victory with a late third goal, ensuring Newcastle's place in the quarter-finals.
Howe praised his players' mental fortitude, saying "I thought the players did really well to control their emotions, to stay calm, not let it affect our performance negatively. And that's not easy to do in that situation where you feel aggrieved, so I think that certainly helps our performance in the second half."
Contrasting Managerial Perspectives
The match highlighted the ongoing debate surrounding VAR's implementation in football. Interestingly, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery—who had criticised VAR as "unfair" just two weeks earlier after a controversial decision went against his team in a Premier League defeat to Brentford—adopted a different stance following this match.
"Today VAR makes sense. VAR is necessary to help the referees," the Spanish manager admitted, while acknowledging his team's competitive first-half performance before the red card changed the game's dynamics.
This incident-rich FA Cup tie has reignited discussions about officiating standards and technology's role in football, with Howe's comments likely to fuel further examination of how VAR affects referees' on-field decision-making processes and confidence.
