VAR lambasted as ‘clowns’ after ‘shocking’ referee incident during Palace v Everton

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Alan Brazil has slammed the ‘shocking’ VAR decision made in Everton’s draw with Crystal Palace yesterday.

Everton played a fairly-even 0-0 stalemate in their FA Cup clash with Crystal Palace last night, however the lack of action was eventually disturbed by yet another VAR controversy.

The Toffees will take on The Eagles in a third-round replay later this month, but this time they could be forced to play without Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The striker was initially unpunished for a tackle on Nathaniel Clyne in the latter stages of yesterday’s draw. Despite there being no appeal from the hosts, VAR brought it back to check the challenge and eventually sent Chris Kavanagh to look at the monitor.

The referee went onto send Calvert-Lewin off for his studs up foul – a decision that hasn’t gone down very well.

Tony Bellew has called the decision ‘disgraceful’, while Sean Dyche has also slammed VAR and has said he has ‘no clue’ what the point in the referee going to check the monitor is.

Alan Brazil is now the latest to chip in with his opinion and has labelled the VAR and Chris Kavanagh ‘clowns’.

Speaking on talkSPORT this morning, the pundit said: “When they took 2/3 minutes to review it – what are they looking at? They’re looking at a different telly or something.

“Absolute disgrace. It just shows you where our game has gone now. Clowns inside that truck, and the referee, the referee can overturn that. That’s a disgrace. Shocking.

“They’ll review it and they’ll get him off, they’ve got to. The game is gone.”

When will Everton stop being punished by VAR’s incompetence?

The controversy comes not long after more mistakes were made by VAR that went against Everton.

A defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month saw Everton denied a goal due to an earlier ‘foul’ from Andre Gomes that denied them the chance to get back into the game.

Mike Dean went onto criticise the decision, claiming the foul was ‘very soft’ and that the goal should have been given.

Just days later, The Toffees were unfairly punished once again. Sean Dyche’s side found themselves level with Man City and hanging on, but the visitors were gifted the chance to take the lead when Amadou Onana was penalised for a handball in the penalty area.

Everton went onto win the game, with former referee Keith Hackett slamming the ‘poor decision’.

While Everton are likely to succeed in appealing Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s red card, these decisions don’t land lightly at Goodison Park given their current position in the table. Huge mistakes could well cost them their place in the Premier League.