This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
July 2, 2020 - Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 3-1 defeat against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, with the Portuguese manager expressing concerns about the future of football due to the increasing reliance on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
Sheffield United took the lead through Sander Berge's first-half strike, but Tottenham thought they had equalized when Harry Kane's goal was disallowed by VAR for a dubious handball against Lucas Moura.
Lucas Moura appeared to have the ball kicked against his arm in the build-up to Kane's strike, and Mourinho complained angrily on the touchline.
Despite Kane's late goal, Tottenham's defeat leaves them in grave danger of missing out on next season's Champions League.
Mourinho fears that the current VAR system is detrimental to the beautiful game, saying, 'I think the referee should always be the man on the pitch and the people in the office should just support and assist.'
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder backed Mourinho, stating that his team has been the victim of several questionable VAR decisions.
