'VAR in the Chelsea vs Fulham match was truly a farce'

During the match between Chelsea and Fulham on August 30 (Vietnam time), the referee disallowed Joshua King's goal for Fulham because his teammate committed a foul. Following this decision, many fans were outraged and considered it a joke.

The West London derby between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge in the 3rd round of the 2025/26 Premier League became the center of controversy when a Fulham goal was disallowed in what fans called “the worst decision in the league’s history.”

Both teams started with enthusiasm after positive results in the previous round. However, the game proceeded at a slow pace until the 21st minute, when Joshua King seemed to have opened the scoring for Fulham with a precise shot that left goalkeeper Robert Sanchez no chance to save.

The visitors’ joy was quickly extinguished. Referee Rob Jones received a signal from the VAR team and went to the sideline to review the incident before the goal, when Rodrigo Muniz collided with Trevoh Chalobah in the midfield area.

After consulting VAR, Rob Jones decided to cancel the goal. He publicly announced to the crowd in the stadium:

“After reviewing, Fulham’s number 9 [Rodrigo Muniz] made a careless challenge, stepping on Chelsea defender [Trevoh Chalobah]’s foot. Therefore, the goal is disallowed and the match will continue with a free kick for Chelsea. No further action will be taken.”

This decision enraged Fulham’s coach Marco Silva on the sidelines, while fans and experts could hardly believe it.

Former defender Curtis Davies could not hide his frustration when commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live:

“I’m very annoyed. I’m a defender and usually support defenders. But this time, I can’t. Trevoh Chalobah went into a challenge that didn’t benefit him. Rodrigo Muniz touched the ball and accidentally stepped on Chalobah’s foot. I don’t even understand why a foul was called, let alone a goal being disallowed. It’s ridiculous.”

Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool center-back, also voiced his criticism on social media platform X: “VAR has had a truly terrible start to the season.”

Many fans called this one of the worst VAR interventions in Premier League history. One supporter wrote:

“A careless challenge?! He was controlling the ball. It’s a complete joke. Every week it’s this bad, while the referee is right there, just a few meters from the incident and clearly sees everything.”

Another person commented:

“This is absurd. It’s clearly a serious and obvious mistake. Where else could his foot [Rodrigo Muniz’s] have gone? VAR is taking over the referees’ decisions. Calling the referee to review the screen is just a formality because the result has already been decided.”

These harsh reactions reflect growing dissatisfaction among fans with how VAR is applied in the Premier League. Since VAR’s introduction in previous seasons, the technology, expected to ensure fairness, has repeatedly sparked controversies.

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