Wayne Rooney has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, and his latest remarks about the Premier League’s ongoing VAR controversies were no exception. The former England captain turned pundit offered a mix of humor and frustration when reflecting on the chaotic scenes that unfolded during Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City at Anfield. In a moment that should have been remembered for its drama and spectacle, Rooney instead likened the incident to something straight out of the Winter Olympics — specifically, the slow, suspenseful sport of curling.
The controversy erupted deep into stoppage time, with City leading 2-1. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker had ventured forward for a corner, leaving his net exposed. When the ball broke loose, Rayan Cherki seized the opportunity, rolling it from the halfway line toward the empty goal. What should have been a stunning finale quickly descended into farce. The ball trickled forward at a painfully slow pace, giving Erling Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai ample time to wrestle each other to the ground in a bizarre duel as they chased the rolling shot. Eventually, the ball crossed the line, sparking wild celebrations among the traveling City fans — only for VAR to intervene.
After a lengthy review, officials ruled that both Haaland and Szoboszlai had committed fouls in the buildup. The goal was chalked off, and Szoboszlai was shown a red card, leaving Liverpool down to ten men. The decision, though technically correct under the laws of the game, left players, fans, and pundits alike bewildered. Rooney, speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, captured the absurdity of the moment with a quip that instantly resonated. “Joe Hart was saying in here, when we were watching the game, it was like… it was like watching the curling at the Winter Olympics,” Rooney joked, highlighting the agonizingly slow roll of Cherki’s shot.
Rooney’s comparison was more than just comic relief. It underscored the surreal nature of the incident — a Premier League clash between two giants reduced to a spectacle of slow-motion chaos. He went further, suggesting that Cherki himself was partly to blame for the controversy. “I think we need to give Rayan Cherki some pointers on how to actually score a goal from the halfway line,” Rooney said. “If he just hit that with a bit of intent, none of this would be happening.”
Yet beneath the humor lay a serious critique of VAR’s impact on football. Rooney acknowledged that the officials had followed the rulebook but lamented the absence of common sense. “To be fair to the officials, they have gone by the rules and I suppose they’ve got the right decision, but a bit of common sense would’ve been nice for once,” he admitted. For Rooney, the incident epitomized how VAR strips away the passion and spontaneity that make football special. “Once you look at the rules, you do understand why it’s given, but it just takes all the passion… I’d prefer not to have VAR because I think it’s terrible.”
Players shared his frustration. Haaland, visibly angry after the match, argued that the referee should have allowed the goal to stand and spared Szoboszlai the red card. “Just give the goal, don’t give red cards, it’s as simple as that,” the Norwegian striker said, sympathizing with his opponent’s three-game ban. His comments echoed Rooney’s sentiment: the letter of the law may have been upheld, but the spirit of the game was lost.
The fallout from the decision has reignited debate over VAR’s role in football. While its purpose is to ensure accuracy, critics argue that it often disrupts the flow of matches and diminishes the emotional highs that define the sport. Rooney’s Winter Olympics analogy captured this perfectly — a moment that should have been thrilling instead became a slow-motion spectacle, robbed of its natural drama by technology and procedural rigidity.
As the Premier League continues to grapple with VAR controversies, Rooney’s remarks serve as both comic relief and a sobering reminder. Football, at its best, is about passion, unpredictability, and moments that live long in memory. When those moments are reduced to curling-like suspense and bureaucratic rulings, the game risks losing its soul.
