Mourinho in favour of VAR technology

Cape Town - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he is in favour of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and feels mostly positive about it.

The Red Devils will play in their first VAR-supported game on Saturday when they travel to Huddersfield Town for an FA Cup fourth-round clash, and Mourinho is looking forward to seeing the technology in action.

VAR's detractors have speculated that the new technology will lead to football being slowed down too much, and take away from the sport as a free-flowing spectacle. However, Mourinho would be delighted to see more correct decisions being made with the system.

He told MUTV: "When people ask us if we like it, if we don’t like it, if we agree with it or don’t agree with it, I think honestly it’s a question for the referees.

"They want to perform the best they can, they don’t like to make mistakes. And sometimes they make mistakes because it’s a human mistake and you cannot go over it unless you have some technological support.

"So if the referees are happy with that technological support, then yes, let’s go for the VAR.

"I think, from my perspective, I like the feeling.

"Of course they need adjustments. They need to make sure that they don’t change the dynamic of the game too much, the emotion of the game too much – people waiting a couple of minutes to know if they can jump (and celebrate) because it was a goal.

"But from my professional perspective, I like the feeling of a right decision is coming. It’s a penalty or not a penalty, it’s handball or not handball, it’s a red card or not a red card. I think a fair decision is a feeling that I like."