Phil Parkinson criticized VAR when he encountered it for the first time in Wrexham’s 4-2 FA Cup fifth round defeat to Chelsea.
Wrexham had two decisions against Wrexham following a VAR review, including George Dobson’s first yellow card being upgraded to a red card in the 93rd minute, and Lewis Brunt’s 3-3 equalizer in extra time being canceled for a correct offside decision.
The hosts had previously taken the lead twice at the Racecourse Grounds, but were reduced to 10 men and quickly lost control of the game, with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and João Pedro in extra time as Chelsea clinched an unconvincing victory.
VAR is not used in the Championship, nor was it used in the previous round of the FA Cup.
Parkinson told TNT Sports: “VAR is a hot topic and it’s very unfortunate that my first experience with VAR turned out like this.”
“I thought VAR was there to make a clear and unambiguous decision. Dobbo came in with force. The referee was in a good position to see it. He scraped his shin.”
“He was caught low. I think he could have easily left it with a yellow. In my opinion, VAR should not have intervened.”
“It was a tough decision, and if that’s the case, you should leave it to the on-field decision.”
Manager Phil Parkinson criticizes VAR after Wrexham’s 4-2 loss to Chelsea
Rosenior: Dobson’s challenge was dangerous
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior agreed with the decision to send off Dobson for diving at Garnacho and grabbing the winger’s knee.
“It’s dangerous,” he told TNT Sports.
“I never want to see a player get a red card. For me, a red card is a challenge I don’t want to see.”
“Both are the right decisions for me. I know it’s frustrating. A dangerous challenge is a dangerous challenge, and if it’s offside, it’s offside.”
“It doesn’t matter how small the difference is, Wrexham were so good in terms of performance that we needed an element of luck today.”
