Leeds United secured a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on Tuesday, but the game was marred by controversies surrounding two disallowed goals. Daniel James’ early goal was enough to seal the win, but Ao Tanaka and Patrick Bamford had their strikes ruled out for offside, sparking frustration among Leeds fans and pundits.
Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie was vocal about the poor decisions, stating that the disallowed goals were “ludicrous” and that the Championship suffers from not having VAR in place. Hendrie, who was commentating on the game, expressed his disappointment with the officials’ decisions, saying that they were “two really, really bad decisions” and that the lack of VAR in the Championship means that such errors can have a significant impact on the outcome of games.
Despite the refereeing errors, Leeds United manager Daniel Farke was pleased with his team’s performance and the three points secured. The win has kept Leeds in first place in the Championship, ahead of Burnley and Sheffield United, who both dropped points on Tuesday.
The controversy surrounding the disallowed goals highlights the ongoing debate about the use of VAR in the Championship and lower leagues. While VAR is not currently used in these divisions, the introduction of technology could potentially help to reduce errors and improve the accuracy of refereeing decisions.
However, as noted, the issue of officiating is not solely related to the lack of technology, and there are concerns about the consistency and quality of refereeing across all levels of the game. The introduction of VAR would likely bring its own set of challenges and controversies, and it remains to be seen how the technology will be implemented and used in the future.
