Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest took a step back in time when they faced each other on Monday night, as they played a portion of the match without any Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The off-site officials, introduced to the Premier League in 2019, have regularly been at the centre of controversies and campaigns for the system’s removal.
It therefore will have delighted many when it was announced after the half-time break that VAR was not in operation on Monday night – sadly for those, it was only a temporary measure.
Why was VAR not in operation when Tottenham faced Forest?
The technology is always operated from its Stockley Park base in west London, regardless of the game in question’s location.
On a regular day, a group of officials watch the game from an office block just north of Heathrow Airport and have a direct line to the on-field referee to advise on any infringements that may have been missed in real-time, but Peter Bankes had to fly solo for a period of time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday.
With the outage having been announced on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, the Premier League confirmed on X that it had been caused by a fire alarm at Stockley Park.
To perhaps muted celebrations, the video officials were back in place just minutes later, with no major incidents having occurred.
An identical scenario occurred back in November during the game between Ipswich Town and Manchester United, which was also rectified within the same timeframe.
For those wishing for a break from VAR in the top tier, it certainly won’t have felt long enough to transport them back to the good old days.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is certainly in that camp, telling Sky Sports earlier this month: "No doubt, it's not the game I loved.
"If that's [VAR] what people want, then let's continue. I don't like it. I am falling out of love with the game because I love celebrating goals.”
For those like Postecoglou, the next five-minute respite can’t come soon enough.
