´It´s here to stay´ – Postecoglou jokes he´s moving to Sweden to escape VAR

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has joked he may move to Sweden in order to escape VAR, claiming it has changed English football for the worse.

Plans to introduce VAR to the Swedish Allsvenskan – the country’s top tier – have been dropped amid fierce opposition from clubs and supporters.

The use of VAR in the Premier League has been a major talking point throughout the season, with a number of high-profile controversies undermining fan support for the technology.

Last week, Mauricio Pochettino said VAR had “damaged” the image of English football after Axel Disasi had a potential stoppage-time winner chalked off during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Pochettino’s Blues, Postecoglou was asked whether English clubs might follow the lead of their Swedish counterparts.

“I’m moving there. I don’t have a job, I’m just moving there,” Postecoglou joked, before adding: “Yeah, it’s here to stay, absolutely. It’s not going away.

“I’d change a hell of a lot on it, but I’ve said that before. I think it’s changed the game materially, which I don’t think was the intention when it was brought in.”

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Postecoglou also seemed to suggest the application of VAR in England has been more troublesome than elsewhere, saying it had worked “seamlessly” in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final draw between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

“I watched the Champions League last night like everyone else, and if you hadn’t told me VAR was part of the game I wouldn’t have known,” Postecoglou added.

“I’m sure they had decisions to make but it seemed to work pretty seamlessly.

“Like I said, we’re trying to pick the bones out of every little thing that happens in a football game at the moment – whether that’s the referee or any other part.

“I don’t like it, it changes the game, it changes the game experience whether you’re involved or not as an active spectator. Hopefully they’ll find the right sort of ground for it to work.”