Mark Clattenburg knows his stuff when it comes to the topic of officiating in football.
The man from Consett oversaw 291 Premier League games throughout his refereeing career – as well as 28 UEFA Champions League matches and 13 cup finals.
Since quitting his role as a Premier League referee in 2017, the conversation about officiating in English football has reached new ground following the introduction of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) – a piece of technology Ange Postecoglou recently criticised after Tottenham lost at Stamford Bridge, with 12 minutes of time added on due to lengthy VAR checks.
The Australian said: “I don’t get it. As human beings we are just so accepting of everything these days. I just thought we had a bit more about us as a race in terms of fighting against things that derail the core of what we believe in. The horse has bolted… but we just let it roll on.
“I don’t like it. I am falling out of love with the game because I love celebrating goals.”
Postecoglou even doubled down in a separate press conference.
Ange Postecoglou’s sarcasm goes to another level when talking about VAR 🤣
‘Everyone loves it. Everyone wants it. Who am I to complain about it?’ pic.twitter.com/BJhN5ljujy
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) April 6, 2025
Now – speaking exclusively to TBR Football – Clattenburg has shared his thoughts on how VAR is used in the Premier League.
Mark Clattenburg says Ange Postecoglou “has a point” as he calls for change
When asked about Postecoglou’s comments, the 50-year-old said: “It’s interesting, the comments from Ange Postecoglou and how he fell out of love with the VAR. It’s always the case when a team is not playing very well, you don’t seem to get the luck from certain refereeing decisions.
“We can look back at – for example – Nottingham Forest last year, where they were on the wrong end of many, many decisions and you always feel that everything is against you, but when you’re playing well like Nottingham Forest are this season, then VAR doesn’t seem to be an issue.
“However, he does have a point, certainly. Watching goals being scored and players can’t celebrate is not a great thing, it’s not a great image.
“Everybody uses the word VAR. We’ve got to understand that it’s not technology, it’s still a human being making a very subjective call, and that’s where the inconsistencies lie when we have subjective decisions. Is it a foul or not? Is it a penalty or not? These are the ones that normally create confusion, frustration, anger.
“I think when the factual decisions (such as) offside, a clear foul outside the box which was given as a penalty, ball over the line, all of these factual decisions don’t seem to have the same issues, but there are so many inconsistencies – especially in the Premier League where some weeks it’s a foul, some weeks it’s not.
“Then it creates a bit of anger, certainly when things are going against your team, because you’re fighting for results and fighting for your job, as a coach, then you’re always going to look for the excuse of VAR.
“Yes, Tottenham Hotspur have had some poor decisions this season, but most teams have. He has a point, it does suck the love out of watching the Premier League with how long it’s taking and delays for certain decisions.”
Clattenburg – who said Jose Mourinho used to try and “charm” him – then shared the change he would make to how VAR is used in England, adding: “I would prefer now to go back and just use it for (the aforementioned) factual decisions and not every decision.
“(For example) Yes, it’s a penalty, or no, it’s not a penalty, and then we’re looking at it for 30 seconds to a minute. Every time players are wanting a VAR check and I think we just need the game to move forward and mainly use it for clear – really clear – situations which are easier to give.”
Premier League set to see significant change occur on Saturday 12th April
Offsides are currently a major problem when it comes to VAR – with certain situations taking far too long to clear up.
One such dilemma in the recent FA Cup clash between Bournemouth and Wolves – who could lose Matheus Cunha – even took eight minutes to make a decision.
However, starting with Manchester City vs Crystal Palace on Saturday 12th April, the Premier League will begin to use the semi-automated offside system seen in UEFA competitions, which only takes a matter of seconds.
