Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche has voiced his frustration after his side conceded yet another controversial goal from a wrongly awarded corner — but despite his protests, VAR will not be stepping in to review such incidents anytime soon.
In Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, Casemiro opened the scoring following a corner that should never have been given. The assistant referee ruled that Nicolo Savona had kept the ball in play, but the flag went up regardless. It marked the second week in a row that Forest had conceded from a corner that should have been a goal kick, following Marcus Tavernier’s direct strike for Bournemouth the previous weekend.
“Two in two weeks is farcical,” Dyche fumed. “There has to be someone who overrides this decision, because it’s gone and they’ve put it straight in the goal.”
Ironically, Dyche himself once argued that “VAR can’t be refereeing every moment” during his time at Everton — but now he is among those calling for its expansion.
Why VAR Can’t Intervene
The reason VAR cannot check corners comes down to the laws of the game and the way VAR is designed. The system currently oversees only four categories of decision: goals, penalties, red cards, and cases of mistaken identity. Incorrectly awarded corners or throw-ins do not fall under its jurisdiction.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the Laws of the Game, actually discussed this very issue last week. FIFA proposed that corners could be made reviewable, arguing that whether the ball crosses the line is a factual matter and could be checked quickly. However, Ifab’s technical advisory panels — composed of former players, coaches, and referees — rejected the idea.
Their reasoning was simple: if corners were reviewable, officials would have to check every corner before it was taken to ensure accuracy. On average, there are around 10 corners per Premier League match. Even a five-second check per corner would add significant delays, and nothing in VAR’s world is ever that quick.
There’s also the problem of Law Five of football, which states that once play has restarted, a referee cannot change a restart decision, even if he later realises it was wrong. So, once a corner has been taken and the ball is in play, the game must continue.
Ifab members feared that allowing VAR to step in on corners would open the door to endless reviews — free-kicks, throw-ins, and every minor decision that could lead to a goal.
Mixed Opinions Among Officials
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has been clear about his opposition to any further expansion of VAR’s powers. “We don’t think there’s any need to extend the use of VAR,” he told BBC Sport in July. “Our position is that we’re in a good place now.”
That sentiment is shared by Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, who sympathised with Dyche but warned against overreliance on technology. “I understand Sean’s anger,” Shearer said. “But I wouldn’t want VAR to get involved in corners. It’s already stopping and starting too much. I’d rather officials do their jobs properly and get it right the first time.”
Still, many fans and analysts argue that not reviewing mistakes fundamental to a goal’s legitimacy undermines VAR’s purpose. As one pundit put it: “If the entire play leading to a goal starts from a bad call, shouldn’t that be reviewed too?”
For now, though, the rule-makers have decided otherwise. VAR will stay out of corners, and Law Five remains intact. Any change would require Ifab — made up of the four UK football associations and FIFA — to vote in favour of expanding VAR’s powers, something that seems unlikely in the near future.
Even if VAR could review corners, it’s not certain Casemiro’s goal would have been disallowed. Camera angles are rarely placed directly on the goal line, and conclusive evidence might have been lacking — just as Arsenal discovered in a similar controversy against Newcastle two years ago.
So, while Dyche and others may feel hard done by, the technology will not be coming to their rescue on corner calls anytime soon. In football’s ongoing debate over VAR, some lines — quite literally — remain unreviewable.
