London (AFP)

Video arbitration assistance (VAR) should only be used to overturn a central arbitrator's decision if there is a "clear and obvious error", said the secretary general of the International Board (Ifab). , Monday, after controversy over the use of VAR in England.

This weekend, Norwich, Brighton, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace were denied offside goals after VAR intervention, sometimes on such a small margin that the reliability of the technology was compromised. question. Some coaches regret that the VAR prevailed over an arbitrary decision made with the naked eye and at real speed.

And Lukas Brud, secretary general of Ifab, the body responsible for the laws of football, seemed to go in their direction by affirming that "clarity and evidence (of actions) still prevail". "It is an important principle. We should not spend a lot of time finding something marginal," he said in the British press on Monday.

During the Liverpool-Wolverhampton match on Sunday (1-0), the Wolves' equalizing goal was canceled for an offside by one of their players for only a few centimeters after a long interruption in the game.

"If you spend several minutes trying to see if there is an offside or not, it means that it is not clear and obvious, and the original decision should prevail," added Lukas Brud.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder was inconsolable after VAR denied his team a goal - for the 5th time this season - against Manchester City, the defending double champion of England.

And even Pep Guardiola, manager of the 2-0 winning Citizens, admitted that the VAR was "a big mess" adding hoping that it "could (it) do better next season".

In early December, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called on the International Board to "clarify" the use of VAR, citing in particular the example of offside and hands.

© 2019 AFP