Luton assistant manager Chris Powell believes VAR should be introduced in League One — and revealed he told the referee he had “cost us” during the Hatters’ controversial defeat at Stevenage.
A below par Town were beaten 2-1 at the SPORTA Arena on Thursday night when Stevenage benefitted from two contentious goals, with Powell believing a foul had been missed before Dan Kemp’s opener and that Josh Magennis’ second should have been ruled out for offside.
The decisions left Luton furious, with manager Jack Wilshere sent off for dissent after protesting against the first goal, while Powell admitted he was also frustrated enough to tell referee Andrew Humphries what he thought.
“I’m on the pitch and I just said , ‘Look, you’ve cost us,’” Powell revealed.
“’I’d like you to make better decisions’. I’m not going to go personal because it’s tough for them. I understand that, I really do.
“Without them we don’t have a game, but we just want it [decisions] to go for you. We understand they’re human, they make decisions as they see them. But when they’re clear, that’s when it’s hard to take.”
But asked if he’d spoken to the officials away from the pitch, Powell said immediately after the game: “No, I haven’t spoken to them and I don’t want to get sent off, so no, I won’t be doing that.”
Powell believes the controversy underlines why video assistant referees (VAR) should be available at League One level, arguing that both decisions would have been overturned had the technology been in use.
“If you had it tonight, it would be pulled back for the first goal and [the] offside,” Powell said.
The former England international acknowledged there would be financial and staffing implications in introducing VAR further down the football pyramid but believes those concerns should not prevent Football League clubs from benefiting from technology already used in the Premier League.
“There is a cost element. I think there’s a staffing element as well. The number of VAR assistants and referees you’d have to have at Stockley Park or somewhere else,” he said.
“But if that’s where the game’s going, it looks like it’s in the Premier League — should it filter down? Personally, I think it should. If it’s in the game, it should be in the game for everyone.”
Powell was particularly unhappy with the decision not to award a foul on Liam Walsh in the build-up to Stevenage’s first goal, arguing that the Luton midfielder had been clearly impeded by Dan Phillips, regardless of the new focus on leniency for physical challenges.
“There is a high threshold, but you’ve got to understand that fouls are fouls,” he said, adding: “We understand when someone is trying to deceive the referee, or the officials, but not when it’s clear like that. That’s not Walshie deceiving anyone. That’s a clear pull and he’s [Phillips] impeded Liam and it’s not given and it should be.”
Powell accepted that officials are working without the benefit of the multiple replays available to managers, players and supporters watching on television, but said that only added to the frustration when decisions appeared clear after the event. Magennis appeared to be offside when Ben Broggio’s cross hit him at point blank range and went in.
“The second goal is offside,” said Powell, adding: “I get it, officials have a tough job, but surely there is an argument for VAR at this level as it can cost teams points, can cost people’s jobs. It’s a clear offside, so they’ve scored tow goals, they’ve won the game when actually they had a helping hand.
“It’s tough for officials. I get that, because they have a split second; we have the advantage of seeing it again. They don’t. But you just hope that the way they work — there’s four of them with the assessor — that they make these decisions. It’s just a tough one to take. I must admit, it really is. They’ve missed two key incidents which is huge, at any level, it’s huge.”
Powell also believes that there is another technological issue which needs addressing in the EFL.
While goal-line technology would have had no bearing on the Stevenage’s two goals against Luton, the absence of it on the same ground back in May arguably prevented the Hatters from reaching the play-offs on the final day of last term, when Boro were awarded a controversial late winner against Wigan, sending them into the end of season shake-up instead.
The Premier League and the Championship both benefit from goal-line technology, but it is not used in League One or Two, meaning officials must continue to make potentially decisive judgements without the assistance available elsewhere.
“That’s just crazy,” Powell said, adding: “Let’s get it right. Last season, Stevenage against Wigan [there was] no goal-line technology. I would argue that that would have helped us. They got in the play-offs, we didn’t. That’s clear, something like that, you should have GLT for sure.”
Town must now prepare for the visit of Bradford City on Saturday, with the Bantams boasting the most miserly defence in League One so far with just four goals conceded. Powell said the club would have to put the disappointment of Stevenage behind them despite believing the result had been unfair.
“It’s a disappointment, for everyone connected with the club,” he said. “But we’ve got to improve, stay positive and look forward to the game against Bradford.”
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