VAR gives 'worst red ever' in France as fans say 'we thought Premier League was bad'

There was VAR chaos in France as Metz player Georges Mikautadze was harshly sent off following an innocuous collision with an opponent, with the referee controversially sticking with his decision

Posted Monday, May 06, 2024 by Dailystar.co.uk

VAR chaos has spread to mainland Europe after a controversial red card wasn't overturned - despite being reviewed by the referee.

The use of VAR in the Premier League continues to trigger controversy, with the system still seemingly causing more problems than it resolves. It has also been causing outrage in other top leagues in the continent.

In France, during the Ligue 1 match between Metz and Rennes, there was a farcical mix-up when Georges Mikautadze was harshly shown a red card before mistakenly being led to believe that his dismissal had been overturned. Towards the end of the game, with Rennes 3-2 up, Metz's Mikautadze was involved in an innocuous-looking collision with Arnaud Kalimuendo, who took a rather theatrical tumble.

Georges Mikautadze makes his way back to the pitch after believing his red card had been overturned

After showing Mikautadze the red card, the referee was advised to check his pitch-side monitor amid the assumption the dismissal would be reversed. Mikautadze had already started making his way down the tunnel before heading back to the pitch, only to be told that the official had decided to stick with his original decision after all.

The scenes left players, fans and commentators utterly baffled, with some branding it one of the worst red card calls of all time. One joked on X: “VAR's a mess, dude got his hopes up for nothing. Classic ref move lol.”

VAR madness in France 😨

Metz's Georges Mikautadze thinks VAR has overturned his red card heading back onto the pitch, but the referee sends him back!

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Another quipped: “We thought VAR was bent over here [England], but this is a new level if that's even possible.” A third added: “Seems like VAR is broken all over Europe.”

A fourth moaned: “I know we often ask for refs to stand by their decisions when faced with a VAR review, but surely the ref has this wrong.” A fifth declared: “Referee shouldn't referee again if he thinks that is a red card.”