Andrews says VAR is stopping referees after Brentford’s Carabao Cup win

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said on 15 September 2026 that video assistant refereeing was preventing match officials from making decisions after his side's 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win at Reading.

Brentford are unbeaten in the Premier League this season with one win and three draws and sit seventh. The Bees progressed with a battling 2-1 victory at League One side Reading, a match in which Andrews said he was not happy with the officiating.

Reading defender Paudie O'Connor had a first-half overhead kick ruled out by referee Tom Nield for a high boot, a decision that prompted Reading boss Leam Richardson to describe it as "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". No VAR is used at this stage of the EFL Cup, a point Andrews referenced in his comments about officiating.

Andrews said: "It's been a tough week for officials as everybody is probably aware. "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."

The remarks followed an admission by Pro Ref to an "error of judgement" in awarding Erling Haaland's winning goal for Manchester City in their Premier League encounter at Manchester United on Sunday. There was intense debate over whether the goal should have been disallowed for City midfielder Enzo Fernandez interfering with play as he dived, attempting to head the ball in a central position before Haaland's finish.

Andrews said referees were no longer allowed to "make mistakes" and added: "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," he added. "We've gone away from allowing them to officiate and allowing them to make mistakes and I think it is a real shame. "Now they are having to go back to that and it's not the habits they have had in recent years."

Andrews described it as "pretty alarming" that Haaland's goal was allowed to stand, saying: "The first thing was whether [Erling] Haaland was offside and then obviously [Enzo] Fernandez was. It's a shame," he admitted. Carvalho returned to score the winner as Brentford beat Reading, a result that advanced them into the Carabao Cup fourth round.