Maddison says referees are petrified of decisions

James Maddison suggested referees are "petrified" to make decisions because of the video assistant referee after being denied a stoppage-time penalty against Leeds on Monday. Maddison went down under Lukas Nmecha's challenge, but referee Jarred Gillett and the VAR dismissed his appeal for a spot-kick. The match finished 1-1, leaving Spurs two points above the Premier League relegation zone with two games to play.

Maddison, 29, who was making his first appearance of the season after his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, wrote on his Instagram account: "For clarity… The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that. But the check was over in about 20 seconds. Officials are petrified to make decisions on the pitch now because of VAR. We keep fighting. COYS." In September, Maddison said referees and VAR "had an absolute shocker of a start" to the season after Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] chief Howard Webb implemented a policy of "less intervention" for VAR in the Premier League.

BBC pundit Alan Shearer has been vocal in his criticism of VAR, saying refereeing standards are "the worst we have seen for a long time" and "only getting worse" because of its use. Former Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock added that VAR is the "worst thing that has been introduced to the game", while ex-England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said football's emotion is being drained by technology. Europe's top leagues have been summoned to a meeting with UEFA in the summer to discuss how VAR technology is being used, with head of UEFA referees **Roberto Rosetti