Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar might have been on the winning side against Valencia on Sunday night, but he has joined his opponents in criticising the current use of VAR and the handball rule.
Speaking after their 2-0 win on Sunday night, Mendilibar explained that he still had no idea what was going on.
“The truth is, I still don’t understand how VAR works.”
Mendilibar, sobre el VAR:
🗨 "Sigo sin entender cómo funciona el VAR".
🗨 "Creo que no hace mejores a los árbitros y eso es una pena". pic.twitter.com/HdHSV9SRXv
— Relevo (@relevo) April 16, 2023
“I said it when it came in and I don’t know how many years later I still have the same line of thought. And I think that the circumstances of these matches prove me quite right. It doesn’t make the referees better and that’s a shame, because before VAR they weren’t as bad, and now they have many doubts.”
There were several controversial decisions during Valencia-Sevilla, with the first Sevilla goal called into question, a potential Valencia penalty and a red card all going against Los Che with VAR intervention.
Valencia General Director Javier Solis complained of what he perceived as egregious treatment on television afterwards in a rant of his own, for which he may well receive a ban.
Mendilibar would go on to say he was equally non-plussed by the officiating with regard to the handball rule.
“I have no idea. Yours, mine and everyone’s thinking is different and I don’t know if they would be able to tell us here in front of everyone if this hand is a penalty and this other is not. This one it’s true that it comes from a rebound from my own player and he hits him in the hand afterwards, I don’t know if the rebound would have come from the opponent, if he would have whistled… I have no idea, we’re waiting to see if it comes up heads, or if it comes up tails. At least for me, I don’t know about the other coaches.”
Mendilibar, sobre las manos:
🗨 "Ahora mismo estamos a mirar si sale cara o cruz, a ver es lo que sale". pic.twitter.com/B8ceZWroIC
— Relevo (@relevo) April 16, 2023
On the game itself, Mendilibar was positive about Sevilla’s efficiency, even if he felt his side did not play especially well, and hope to be able to release themselves from their constraints, i.e the relegation battle.
Sevilla are unbeaten since Mendilibar came into the post, having secured two draws and two wins, each of which they have scored twice in. The Basque tactician appears to have lifted the gloom at Sevilla that was present before his arrival.
