Football manager Ian Holloway has been lampooned after he bizarrely blamed the EU for a VAR decision that saw a Manchester City goal disallowed.
On Sky Sports’ ‘The Debate’ roundup programme, which reviewed the Man City vs Tottenham game, he said he hopes Brexit comes quickly because “you cannot have someone telling us how to do our own game”.
The Premier League’s controversial new handball rules meant that Gabriel Jesus’ goal was disallowed, as the ball had brushed another player’s hand.
Holloway said that he didn’t think it was “our boys” making that decision. In fact, the new rules were decided by IFAB, which is mostly made up of Brits.
“To me, they should get get rid of that rule straight away,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense … the most important thing of all, their job is to not re-referee the game.
According to Ian Holloway, the EU is to blame for the new handball rule pic.twitter.com/2W4qtX9yUY
— Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) August 20, 2019
“It needs to be clear and obvious. So I don’t think that’s our boys making up that rule change. I think that’s people telling us what we should do with our game.
“They should stop doing that. I hope we get out … Brexit, because that’s what we voted for, and sort that out, because you cannot have someone telling us how to do our own game.”
The moment was spotted and tweeted by the Guardian’s football editor Sachin Nakrani, prompting amused football fans to mock Holloway’s bizarre statements.
“We have nothing to fear from leaving UEFA,” parodied Twitter user Kevin Ryan. “We will judge handballs on WTO rules.”
Holloway is spot on, we should take back control, make our own rules, rip-up the backpass, stop free movement of players and even if we have goal shortages and lack of investment, we will get through, we played the Christmas no-mans land game in 1914 and bloody won. E.U eh?
— Roger Lloyd (@mellieface) August 21, 2019
“£350m will be invested in YOUR jumpers for goalpoasts,” said Anthony Owen-Jones.
We have nothing to fear from leaving UEFA. We will judge handballs on WTO rules.
— Kevin Ryan (@KRyan2014) August 20, 2019
— donie (@doniekellylad) August 20, 2019
VAR coming over here doing British referees jobs. Send it back
— CH1 (@IrwinMatthew) August 21, 2019
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