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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Jurgen Klopp suggests top managers have decided solution to 'armpit' VAR calls

Jurgen Klopp says that a potential solution for extremely marginal VAR offside calls has been decided at a meeting of top European managers.

Many fans have recently expressed concern with the way the VAR system currently handles offsides, with goals intensely scrutinised and players often given offside by a matter of inches, or infamously in some cases, their armpits.

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish was the latest player to fall foul of a tight call on New Year's Day when he saw a goal ruled out because Villans forward Wesley was marginally offside in the buildup.

Five goals were ruled out for VAR-awarded offsides in the Premier League over the weekend, including one for Wolves ' Pedro Neto in their 1-0 defeat to Klopp's Liverpool at Anfield.

Wesley was given offside in the buildup to Grealish scoring for Villa at Burnley (BT SPORT)

The German was asked about that at his press conference ahead of Thursday's clash with Sheffield United, and said the subject was up for discussion at a recent UEFA meeting of managers where the possibility of the defender's 'line' being thicker when VAR calls were analysed was brought up.

"It's not the biggest problem in the world," said Klopp.

"We want to have clarification and right decisions, offside we get that now, the only problem is it feels like half an hour until the toenail is offside. But that's the decision.

"We had a manager meeting with UEFA and it was decided to make the line bigger. I would like that.

Klopp says manager have decided on a solution (John Powell)

"I don't know who would decide that. That it doesn't take so long until a decision would also be better."

Should the defender's line be thicker, perhaps twice as thick as attacker's, then there would be a natural advantage to the attacking player as he or she wouldn't be caught offside by the thinnest of margins.

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