Wayne Rooney delivered a scathing critique of officiating in the FA Cup following Newcastle United’s 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, labelling a decision not to award Newcastle a penalty as “one of the worst decisions I have ever seen in football.” The incident, involving a handball by Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne, occurred during a match played without the benefit of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
Rooney, speaking on BBC One after the match, focused his criticism on the call made by referee Chris Kavanagh. He stated the handball occurred “three or four yards inside” the penalty area, and expressed disbelief at the decision to award a free kick to Villa instead. “He is three or four yards inside. The linesman is just in front of it and you can clearly see how much he is in the penalty box,” Rooney said, according to the Standard. He further suggested the referee appeared to be influenced by the linesman’s call, describing it as an “absolute shocker.”
The absence of VAR in the early rounds of the FA Cup was a central point of contention. FA Cup rules currently do not permit video replays until the fifth round, a policy justified by the “infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation,” as reported by the Standard. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery acknowledged the incident highlighted the value of the technology, despite ongoing debate surrounding its employ.
Newcastle’s victory was secured despite the controversial decision, with goals from Sandro Tonali, who benefitted from a deflection on his equaliser, and Nick Woltemade after Marco Bizot of Aston Villa was sent off in the first half. However, Rooney’s outburst underscored the potential impact of officiating errors in the absence of VAR. The Daily Mail reported Rooney’s assessment as a “brutal takedown” of the refereeing performance.
The match similarly saw a goal from Tammy Abraham for Aston Villa disallowed for offside, adding to the list of contentious calls. The Goal report noted multiple “game-changing decisions” went against Aston Villa throughout the match. Eddie Howe, the Newcastle manager, has previously expressed concerns about referees becoming overly reliant on VAR, even when errors occur, according to Sky Sports.
The Football Association has yet to comment on Rooney’s remarks or the officiating performance at Villa Park. The FA Cup draw for the fifth round is scheduled to take place, with the matches to be played in February and March.