Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto De Zerbi slams officiating after controversial draw

LONDON: Roberto De Zerbi criticised the officiating in Tottenham Hotspur’s dramatic 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds United here at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, claiming the referee appeared unsettled amid ongoing VAR controversy in English football.

The match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was dominated by two major VAR interventions. Leeds were awarded a penalty after VAR official Craig Pawson advised referee Jarred Gillett to review an incident involving Mathys Tel and Ethan Ampadu inside the penalty area.

Gillett overturned his original decision after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

A second controversial moment arrived deep into stoppage time when Daniel James went down in the box following a challenge from Lukas Nmecha.

Although Gillett waved play on, Pawson decided against recommending another review after concluding that Nmecha had made contact with the ball.

The result leaves Leeds two points above the relegation zone with only two matches remaining this season.

De Zerbi suggested the match officials appeared unsettled and affected by recent VAR controversy, claiming the pressure influenced their decisions during the game.

“From the first minute until the end of the game, the referee went to me, ‘if you go out [of the technical area then it'll be a yellow card.’ I think they were not calm today. Maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday. The Arsenal game, the VAR,” De Zerbi told reporters afterwards.

“For sure, we suffered the pressure today because the speed of the ball, the order on the pitch. We didn't play with passion with the ball. We were rushing. But also the referee was not calm today.”