This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
On January 1, 2020, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho's team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Southampton, sparking a heated debate about the role of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the game.
Mourinho was particularly upset about a potential foul on midfielder Dele Alli inside the box in the first half that was not assessed by VAR, despite the Portuguese manager's insistence that it was a clear penalty.
"For me the referees are not the referees," Mourinho said in a post-match interview. "I think the VAR should change their name because Video Assistant Referee is not true. It should be VR – Video Referee – because they are the referees."
Mourinho's anger was compounded when VAR assessed another incident where Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy dived at Alli's feet to get to a loose ball and got there first, but the VAR did not intervene in this case.
"The direction it is taking us in is really, really wrong," Mourinho added, suggesting that VAR was being used to distract from the first decision.
The loss left Spurs in sixth place, six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea who occupy the final Champions League spot.
