Brentford's Andrews urges referees to 'be human' as VAR controversy deepens after Manchester derby error

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has called on referees to trust their own judgement and “be human beings and make decisions”, warning that VAR has eroded officials’ confidence and instinct in the domestic game.

Andrews spoke after a turbulent week for English refereeing, headlined by Pro Ref’s admission of an “error of judgement” in last weekend’s Manchester derby. Erling Haaland’s winner for Manchester City was wrongly allowed to stand despite teammate Enzo Fernandez being offside and interfering with play — a decision Andrews described as “pretty alarming”.

The incident drew widespread condemnation. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez called it an “injustice”, while Gary Neville said he needed the offside rule explained to him. Andrews, speaking after Brentford’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Reading on Wednesday, added his voice to the chorus of concern but struck a more measured tone than most.

“It’s been a tough week for officials as everybody is probably aware,” Andrews said. “I think we just need to let them ref the game and be human beings and make decisions. We have gone through a period in the game where I feel like they weren’t actually making decisions in both boxes because of the technology we have in the game, and I feel like that is a real shame.”

Andrews also reflected on the shift in the relationship between players and referees, arguing that the culture of deferring to technology has damaged something more fundamental. “I always felt as a player, when there was a relationship with an official that was built on respect and being able to speak to each other in a certain way. We’ve gone away from allowing them to officiate and allowing them to make mistakes,” he said. “Now they are having to go back to that and it’s not the habits they have had in recent years.”

Brentford’s cup tie against Reading produced its own officiating flashpoint. League One side Reading had a goal ruled out when defender Paudie O’Connor was penalised for a high boot — a decision made without VAR, which is not used at this stage of the Carabao Cup. Reading manager Leam Richardson was furious, calling it “possibly in the top three [wrong] decisions that I’ve seen in my career — and I’ve seen thousands of games and played in hundreds.”

Richardson added: “I’m not saying we win the game and I never really come out and criticise officials, but when it starts happening too regularly, you start getting really concerned.”

The back-to-back controversies have renewed debate about how VAR is applied in England and whether its presence has fundamentally altered how referees approach their role on the pitch.