VAR was supposed to eradicate diving from football, but Noni Madueke proved the system did just the opposite by encouraging it.
Maduke was easily brought down and earned a penalty (Image: Getty Images)
It hasn’t been a great week for Noni Madueke. Or perhaps football pundit Martin Keown.
Madueke should hang his head in shame following the blatant cheating he committed to help Arsenal escape with a draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.
And Keown should be upset if he thought Madueke deserved a penalty following Malik Tillman’s challenge. The England winger fooled the referee. It’s that simple.
That’s what Harry Maguire did during Manchester United’s home game against Crystal Palace earlier this month.
Apart from Keown, Mikel Arteta and the idiots who run VAR, there isn’t a single person on the planet who thought this was the right decision. And if Madueke isn’t careful, his diving reputation will be ruined.
read more: Kai Havertz says ‘sorry’ to Bayer Leverkusen amid furious backlash over Arsenal’s penaltyread more: Mikel Arteta’s concerns over Bukayo Saka draw attention to Arsenal star vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Although it may be too late for Keown. Keown has a responsibility to maintain fairness during the match. That’s what his role as abridger requires. However, the former Arsenal defender appears to be incompetent.
His comments in favor of a penalty signal suggest Keown is prepared to argue that black is white, a point Arsenal are concerned about.
That’s because replays showed that while the contact was minimal, it did not justify Madueke’s reaction. Madueke chose to descend rather than be defeated.
Noni Madueke should hang her head in shame (Image: AFP, Getty Images)
And in doing so, yet another damning indictment of how VAR continues to fail the sport. One of VAR’s main purposes remains one of its biggest drawbacks.
Because VAR was meant to eradicate dives. But as Madueke showed, it did just the opposite and encouraged them. And the longer this situation lasts, the more players like him will take advantage of it.
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