Harry Kane baffled by VAR call in Newcastle United loss

Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Harry Kane admits he is at a loss to understand how VAR did not correct a penalty call against Newcastle United.

By Liam Kennedy

Published 27th Aug 2019, 14:56 BST- 1 min read

Updated 27th Aug 2019, 15:57 BST

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur goes down under a challenge by Jamaal Lascelles of Newcastle United and they asked for a review via VAR during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 25, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Jamaal Lascelles clumsily fell against the Spurs frontman in the area and appeared to bring Kane down – but referee Mike Dean did not point at the spot, and the VAR control room agreed with the man in the middle.

Kane, speaking to Sky Sports, is adamant the officials got it wrong – although he remains an advocate of the use of video technology.

"It is hard to understand how it hasn't been given," he said.

"I kind of tripped over his (Lascelles) arm and then his body. Whether it was deliberate or not, from my point of view it is hard to take. It is there to help the referee on the pitch. That being said he didn't know, he couldn't see.

"That's where VAR is there to help him out. If he had said 'no penalty' and the VAR said it was a 50-50, you can agree.

"I don't know what the conversation was - whether he said he didn't see it or not, but from my point of view, it's hard to understand. That's the way football goes sometimes.

"Sometimes you are going to get the rub of the green with VAR, sometimes not. I felt it didn't go our way against Newcastle.

"It is the 50-50 ones that are always going to be hard. They are never going to take away speculation because like against Newcastle, it is always a matter of opinion.”