Leicester City VAR Concerns Extend Beyond Steve Cooper’s Inquiry as Impressive Record Faces Threat

The controversial VAR offside decision against Leicester City during their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace has sparked ongoing discussions, with Steve Cooper, the Leicester manager, and pundit Gary Lineker both raising concerns.

Cooper addressed the issue in several post-match interviews, and Lineker brought it up on both “Match of the Day” and his “The Rest is Football” podcast.

However, the debate surrounding Palace’s first goal in the game is far from over.

Leicester City have approached the Premier League, seeking clarification on how the decision was made.

This is despite Cooper’s initial concerns being somewhat addressed.

After the game, the Premier League’s Match Centre on X (formerly Twitter) shared an image of the VAR decision.

The post showed Jean-Philippe Mateta ahead of Leicester defenders Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli, with a green line indicating he was onside.

However, there was no immediate explanation of who had played Mateta onside.

It wasn’t until later in the game that a wider-angle shot was released, showing Leicester’s James Justin’s outstretched leg as the reference point for the offside line. Justin was attempting to block a cross from Tyrick Mitchell at that moment.

Despite this, the usual two offside lines weren’t drawn; only one was shown.

In his post-match interviews, Cooper asked to see a definitive image of the VAR decision.

At that point, he hadn’t been informed about the wider-angle shot, as the Premier League had delayed releasing it.

However, even with the new image made public, Leicester City remains unsatisfied with the decision and has contacted the Premier League.

Their main concern seems to be whether the frame used to determine Mateta’s position was from the exact moment the ball first left Mitchell’s foot.

The goal came shortly after Stephy Mavididi had doubled Leicester’s lead, and Cooper described it as a “pivotal moment” in the match, as it shifted the momentum at Selhurst Park.

Leicester went on to concede a last-minute equalizer, with Mateta scoring from the penalty spot following a foul by substitute Conor Coady on Ismaila Sarr.

A semi-automated offside decision system, which was used during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is set to be introduced in the Premier League this season, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.

Cooper expressed his hope that the new system will be introduced soon.

“We’re still waiting for absolute clarity that he was onside,” Cooper said after the match. “If he is, then no problem.

There’s no semi-automatic system in place yet.

It’s coming, and it’s coming for a reason. But until then, mistakes can happen.

If we see a clear image, we’ll accept it and move on. But we’re not there yet.”

Cooper is expected to address the issue further during his pre-Everton press conference on Thursday. It’s a topic he will likely be eager to discuss.