New season, same old VAR. We were close to going a week without one scandalous decision, but here we are once again talking about it. We should really be talking about a good game on the south coast between Bournemouth and Newcastle because for 90 minutes it looked as if the game could go either way. Bournemouth were the better side for large parts of the game, Marcus Tavernier gave them the lead in the first half after Antoine Semenyo won the ball in the Newcastle half.

Anthony Gordon levelled the game in the second half when he met Harvey Barnes’ cross at the back post. Both teams had other chances too, Neto made a series of good saves to keep Newcastle out, and Evanilson almost scored on his debut, but was unable to turn Semenyo’s cross into the back of the net.

Just as the game was looking like it would end up as a draw, VAR decided to make what was a great game of football into what can only be described as a joke.

Disallowed Goal

From a Bournemouth corner, Dango Ouattara gave the hosts the lead in added time at the end of the game. There were no protests from the Newcastle players, the referee gave the goal, and the linesman at that end agreed with the referee’s decision. Bournemouth fans were celebrating a last minute winner in a game that marked the club’s 125th anniversary.

But VAR were looking at every detail to try and find a way to disallow Bournemouth’s goal, after all, we can’t have a tinpot side like the Cherries beating Newcastle can we? The ball appeared to go in off the shoulder of Ouattara instead of his head. It struck his sleeve, or maybe Dan Burns the images haven’t been conclusive, and went in the back of the net, but VAR decided that it was a factual handball and that David Coote didn’t even need to review it.

Bang on.

Last week our goal was disallowed because Cook’s shoulder was offside, and you can score with your shoulder.
This week our goal is disallowed because we scored with our shoulder.

‘Its not football anymore’ https://t.co/BMnPaWE38A

— Back Of The Net 🍒 (@afcbpodcast) August 25, 2024

Last week Bournemouth had a goal disallowed because Lewis Cook’s shoulder was offside. The justification for the decision was that you can score with your shoulder, so it had to be called for offside. Fair enough. So why then, when a player does connect to the ball with his shoulder, is it given as a handball. You’ve got to feel for Ouattara, who has now had two goals disallowed in two games; he must feel as if he is cursed.

Potential Red Card

Just a few minutes later, the Bournemouth players, who must’ve been feeling like the world was against them, were forced to watch their captain and goalkeeper put in a stranglehold and thrown to the ground by Newcastle player Joelinton only for the Brazilian to get away with a yellow card.

It seems bizarre that that kind of behaviour is allowed in the Premier League these days when it is illegal in a game like rugby. It’s quite fitting that this week Bournemouth announced a partnership with WWE, but I didn’t expect the deal to be so evident on the pitch. It’s almost as if the game was scripted much like WWE.

I’m convinced VAR have a Dango Ouattara agenda. Shocking decision.

— 🍒🍒 (@afcbfan_hw) August 25, 2024

To top off Bournemouth’s misery, one of their coaching staff, Pablo de la Torre, was sent off for his, quite justified, reaction to Joelinton’s challenge. The Spaniard has been suspended before for his touchline antics, and missed last season’s home game against Manchester United. I’m sure if he was in the dugout for that game, he would have been sent off too, because Bournemouth seem to have a habit of being on the receiving end of, well, blatantly wrong VAR decisions.