VAR Mayhem in League One: Burton’s Ghost Goal Shocker
If you thought VAR only made headlines in the Premier League, think again. League One witnessed its own slice of chaos last Saturday as Burton Albion were denied a clear goal that even Stevie Wonder would’ve spotted.
In their clash with Exeter City, a shot from Deji Oshilaja thundered off the underside of the bar, bounced over the line, and spun out. Fans roared. Players wheeled away. Even the fourth official half-celebrated. But the referee? Waved play on like it was 1998. No goal. No justice. No VAR.
With no goal-line tech in League One, Burton were left fuming. And rightly so. They went on to lose 2-1, and manager Dino Maamria gave one of the most scathing post-match interviews you’ll ever see. “We might as well be flipping coins,” he said, in what may be the quote of the season.
Fans are demanding change. If we can spend millions on VAR in the Premier League to check if someone’s toenail is offside, surely we can fund goal-line tech in League One? Until then, the beautiful game will continue to be haunted by ghost goals and human error.