Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has stood by his comments on VAR after criticising the system for disallowing Harry Kane’s last-gasp goal against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Italian was sent off for his protestations after VAR ruled out Kane’s stoppage-time winner in the 1-1 draw for offside, with the 53-year-old answering just one question in his post-match press conference as he questioned the honesty of VAR.
Ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth, he said: “I haven’t changed my mind.
“I think I was very clear after the game what I said and I confirmed what I said. It’s simple. My feeling about the situation is the same.
“I repeat that the decision was really wrong.”
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‘It’s impossible to make mistakes!’ – Conte stands by VAR comments
Asked if VAR is ruining the excitement of football, he replied: “I continue to think it’s impossible to make mistakes with VAR. You have the screen, you have the time. It’s impossible to make mistakes for these reasons.
“For me, it’s impossible to make a wrong decision with VAR. And to keep everyone waiting for five or six minutes means you have confusion in your mind.
“Against Newcastle, it was impossible to see a player (Callum Wilson) not block Hugo Lloris. It was so clear. Another big mistake.
“We are talking about situations that are so clear. I hope in every situation to see honesty. To make mistakes with VAR – I don’t want to say what I think.”
Why was Kane’s goal disallowed?
Kane was behind Emerson Royal when the Spurs wing-back nodded the ball back towards him in the Sporting area. The ball deflected off a defender and dropped in front of Kane, who finished first time to seemingly win the game for the hosts.
However, following a VAR check that took several minutes and left those in the stadium unsure whether Tottenham had indeed sealed their place in the next round, it was determined that Kane was slightly in front of the ball when Emerson headed it in his direction and was therefore offside.
Tottenham’s fixtures before World Cup
October 29: Bournemouth (A) – kick-off 3pm
November 1: Marseille (A) – kick-off 8pm
November 6: Liverpool (H) – kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
November 9: Nottingham Forest (A) – kick-off 7.45pm
November 12: Leeds (H) – kick-off 3pm