Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was left fuming with VAR after the Reds’ defeat to Toulouse, but former teammate Joe Cole disagreed on a controversial call.

Jamie Carragher, a former defender for Liverpool, has weighed in once more on the application of video assistant refereeing (VAR) in sports.

This comes after Alexis Mac Allister’s handball in the build-up to disqualify Liverpool’s equalizer in the 98th minute of their Europa League encounter against Toulouse.

Carragher advocated for the elimination of VAR on social media in an effort to vent his annoyance.

Carragher stated in a tweet: “The game is over! VAR should be eliminated; it is a shame.”

He also shared another user’s tweet stating that European officiating is worse than that of the Premier League.

Carragher plans to further elaborate on his thoughts on VAR in an upcoming column.

However, not everyone agrees with Carragher’s stance. Former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole argued that the decision to disallow the goal was correct, as it was a clear handball.

Rachel Brown-Finnis, a former England goalkeeper, also supported the referee’s decision, stating that while it was a good finish by Quansah, it was rightfully ruled out due to the handball.

The use of VAR in football has been a topic of debate since its introduction. While it aims to improve the accuracy of refereeing decisions, there have been instances where its implementation has caused controversy and confusion.

Critics argue that VAR interrupts the flow of the game and takes away the human element of decision-making.

Carragher’s call for VAR to be scrapped is not the first time he has expressed his dissatisfaction with the technology.

The former defender made a similar call earlier this week after branding Marcus Rashford’s sending-off for Manchester United against Copenhagen “disgraceful”.

The debate around VAR is likely to continue as football authorities and fans evaluate its impact on the sport.

While some believe it is necessary for ensuring fairness and accuracy, others argue that it hinders the natural flow of the game and leads to contentious decisions.

It remains to be seen whether Carragher’s vocal opposition to VAR will influence any changes in its usage. As the technology evolves and adapts, football’s governing bodies will need to carefully consider the feedback and concerns of players, pundits, and fans.

Liverpool.com says: Liverpool will certainly feel hard done by after having that late equalizer ruled out.

We’ve seen this week that the rules in Europe around handball do seem a lot harsher than in the Premier League.

The problem with calling for VAR to be scrapped though is summer up by the fact that two former players can’t agree on what the right call was.

Furthermore, VAR showed how useful it can be just hours later, with West Ham being awarded a goal in its game against Olympiacos that would have otherwise been wrongly ruled out were it not for the system. 

VAR clearly needs some adjustments making to it, but scrapping it could cause even more problems.

Read Next:

Football fans were left baffled by VAR’s decision to overturn Jarell Quansah’s late equalisder for Liverpool – and one VAR expert slammed the decision, but explained why it was allowed to stand.

A VAR expert has slammed the ‘terrible decision’ that led to Liverpool’s late equaliser being chalked off for a handball on Alexis Mac Allister.

Jarell Quansah thought he had secured the Reds a point on Thursday evening, having been 3-1 down to Toulouse at one point, in the 97th minute.

However, after a lengthy check, it was deemed that Mac Allister handled the ball in the build-up.

Dale Johnson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “So many reasons why Mac Allister handball is a terrible VAR decision:

Arm close to body, being withdrawn not moved to ball, high on arm, not deliberate, way back in play.”

However, Johnson then pointed out why the goal was allowed to stand, and why it wouldn’t in the Premier League. He added: “But this is UEFA, with goals disallowed for any handball in attack phase.”

UEFA rules state that any handball during an attack will result in the goal being chalked off.

UEFA Football Board put to UEFA that a handball that was a result of a deflection of the same player shouldn’t count – but it is not an official law.

Jurgen Klopp was unhappy with the decision in his post-match press conference: “I only saw the video back and for me, it’s not a handball, but how can I decide that?

“Yes, the ball goes to the chest and I don’t see contact with the arm, to be honest.

Maybe they had a different picture than I had. It’s pretty long ago before we score the goal, [I was thinking] ‘where’s the free-kick?’

“That’s interesting, we could talk about that. I heard, I didn’t see it, that there could have been a penalty for us in another situation, I don’t know.”