Explained: Why was Premier League game Ipswich Town vs Manchester United played without VAR?

Bizarre incidents occur almost every now and then in football. But what happened in today’s English Premier League game between Manchester United and Ipswich Town was both unfortunate and bizarre. The two clubs while locking horns at the Portram Road were made to play for some time without the use of VAR technology, which is mandatory in the EPL games now.

Why was the match between Ipswich Town and Manchester United played without VAR?

For a brief moment in today’s game between hosts Ipswich Town and Manchester United, the use of Video Assistant Referee Technology (VAR) was put to a halt, as the VAR Hub located at Stockley Park received a fire alarm.

As the league outing was nearing the end of its first half, referee Anthony Taylor paused the game, calling a short break, during which he called the two captains Ipswich Town’s Sam Morsy and the Manchester United leader Bruno Fernandes, along with and managers Ruben Amorim and Kieran McKenna. He informed after putting the game on pause that VAR would not be available for a period of the game. 

The two sitting in the hot seat at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park were also made to move away from their monitors for the fire alarm at the headquarters. As the news emerged, the famous commentator Peter Drury was heard saying (as per Manchester Evening News), “And VAR is not currently functional. There may be some of you who love that, back to the old days. It’s all on the ref and his assistants now until further notice.”

The English Premier League also issued an official notice informing that VAR was not in function during the game between the two concerned sides. They also updated, when the system was put back to use. However, it must be noted that the non-availability of VAR technology didn’t affect the game as such, as for that short period no decision required the use.

Outcome of the Ipswich Town vs Manchester United game 

New coach Ruben Amorim’s first game at the helm of the Red Devils side ended in a 1-1 draw. It started off well for Manchester United, as Marcus Rashford scored their fastest goal of the season in the 81st second. The score was equalized in the 43rd minute when Omari Hutchinson struck back. Since then, no goal occurred and the teams shared spoils with the blow of the final whistle.

The game made us witness not much of a change in performance, as United were playing on more or less equal terms and not better. However, this is just the first game and Amorim will look to change the scenario with his tactics soon.

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