VAR Causes Confusion by Asking Referee to Count Players During Wolves-Villa Match

An unusual incident occurred during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) instructed the on-field referee Andy Madley to count the number of players on the pitch.

The bizarre situation unfolded in the 71st minute as Wolves attempted to make a double substitution while leading 1-0. Goncalo Guedes and Rayan Ait-Nouri were set to be replaced by Rodrigo Gomes and Tommy Doyle.

However, what should have been a routine change turned chaotic. Madley blew his whistle to stop play and was asked to count the players on the field. Though Guedes had already left for the dugout, Wolves were not permitted to bring on their substitutes despite the fourth official holding up the substitution board.

The commentator remarked: “VAR is asking the referee to confirm nobody has left the field. It’s unbelievable. Extraordinary scenes.”

The substitution process ultimately took nearly three minutes to complete. It remains unclear who made the request, but Matt Donohue and Wade Smith were on VAR duty for the match.

This incident added to earlier VAR controversy in the game, when a Villa equalizer was disallowed after 20 minutes for an offside in the build-up.

Despite the confusion, Wolves went on to win the match 2-0 with a late goal from Matheus Cunha sealing the victory.