Good Day from a beautiful part of the world where blue skies prevail today. There is a cutting edge to the wind but how can we complain about anything with so much going on elsewhere in the world. In today's podcast I discussed football matters with Graham Smith. VAR was at it again in the Newcastle drawn game with Spurs. I knew what I needed to ask the chatbot. 'Was the VAR decision to award a penalty to Spurs last night against Newcastle the correct decision?

Algorithmic answer

The incident occurred in the 86th minute with the score at 1–1.

• VAR spotted Rodrigo Bentancur tugging Dan Burn’s shirt during a Newcastle corner.

• Referee Thomas Bramall initially did not give a penalty but was sent to the pitchside monitor.

• After review, he awarded Newcastle a spot-kick, which Anthony Gordon converted to make it 2–1 before Cristian Romero’s stoppage-time equaliser rescued Spurs.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank: “It’s an absolute mistake by VAR. It’s never a penalty”.

• Cristian Romero (Spurs captain): Publicly expressed frustration, calling the decision “disgraceful”.

• Jamie Redknapp (Sky Sports pundit): Slammed the lack of consistency in VAR decisions, noting that similar shirt-pulling incidents often go unpunished.

• Premier League statement: Defended the referee’s final call by saying Bentancur “clearly does not look at the ball” while committing the foul, but this explanation has been met with widespread skepticism.

⚽ Why It’s Controversial

• Subjectivity of shirt-pulling: These tussles happen frequently in the box, and referees rarely penalize them unless they are blatant.

• Inconsistency: Fans and pundits argue that if this incident is deemed a penalty, then dozens of similar situations should also be punished.

Impact on the game: The decision nearly cost Spurs the match, fueling anger among supporters and adding to ongoing debates about VAR’s role in football.

📌 Verdict

While VAR followed protocol in flagging the shirt-pull, the consensus among managers, pundits, and fans is that the penalty should not have been awarded. The incident highlights the persistent problem: VAR is supposed to correct clear and obvious errors, yet its interventions often feel inconsistent and disruptive to the spirit of the game.

How did a football journalist and former player see it?