Hugo Lavell

Currently Football at IMG Media. Ex Formula E, Infront & Kentaro. Opinions all mine and occasionally valid.

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Spot on

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

VAR

I enthusiastically welcomed it. Was sold on the higher percentage of right decisions so we could all go home knowing football justice had been done and we could concentrate on which player was crap instead.

But I was wrong. Woefully and completely wrong.

Waiting 5 minutes for a decision to be made alone means the system isn't fit for purpose. Why? Because I sat with TV producers who said everything would be wrapped up in 10-30 seconds. It has literally taken the spontaneous joy from the most important part of the game. A goal.

Then, one thing completely blindsided me and many others.

Subjectivity.

I thought there would be science and a nailed on guarantee of a successfully and universally accepted decision. How wrong we were. Instead, arbitrary lines are drawn that simply can't with any certainty say whether a player is offside or not. So a human in a portacabin, 200 miles away only does what the referee can do, make a best guess.

Likewise handballs, dives, any penalty decision to be honest. A subjective decision decided out of stadium allowing an increasingly small and poor refereeing pool a get out of jail free card. Instead of them making a shit decision and owning it, they just pass it on 200 miles away so 3 men in a portacabin can make a shit decision instead. Lunacy.

For the love of the game, let's go back to investing in getting more referees, respecting them so that they join the trade and don't feel constantly abused. In short, treat them like rugby referees. Ultimate respect.

Then, fuck VAR off, it's ruined the game, made it petty and chaotic, and taken that one ingredient that you simply can't replace, instantaneous joy.

As a player and fan I accepted a referee making a bad decision in a game in the same way I accepted fucking up a shot or pass. We're all human.

Let's get back to that, humans doing their best, everyone walks away from the ground accepting that and less unrealistic pressure put on officials to be perfect when perfection doesn't exist in any walk of life.

VAR stinks. A system designed to help is a massive hindrance and it's about time pundits, fans, players, referees, clubs put pressure on authorities to get rid of it. We only need goal line tech, the rest can and should be refer refereed by humans making their best judgement. A best judgement that was over 98% right( audited fact pre VAR).

Enough is enough, fuck it off.

[Channel 4 Sport @C4Sport]

’Tis the season for giving 🎁

We’re delighted to announce that for the first time in history, AFCON will be live exclusively on free-to-air TV, broadcasting across @Channel4 🎉

Subscribe to our YouTube to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the action 👀

#C4Sport | #AFCON

[CAF @CAF_Online]

A partnership that brings African football to new audiences.

Proud to welcome @C4Sport as the Official Broadcaster of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025. 🤝

[IMG @IMG]

After significantly increasing revenues, reach and fandom together, we are excited to announce the renewal of our partnership with CONMEBOL, extending our team’s role in managing its commercial, sponsorship, and media rights.

Learn more here: https://t.co/VKiPDYqa7z

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Carlo #Ancelotti without any shadow of a doubt the greatest coach of last 30 years. The honours are one thing, the method another. #UCLfinal

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@StanCollymore You’re of course right - as Brentford fan I’ve seen us set up v effectively agaisnt the big boys in recent seasons. with the help of a miracle maybe we will again on Saturday.

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@StanCollymore Fair point Stan but if you can’t get close to the ball not much you can do with “basics”. Emulating early 90s Wimbledon would see every outfield player sent off

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Sensational

[Bryan’s Gunn @bryansgunn]

Could all the Joneses please slow down and let David Moyes keep up

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@premierleague He didn’t dive. He never does.

[Sky Sports Football @SkyFootball]

BREAKING: Every AFCON match will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports!

Hosts Ivory Coast kick off the tournament on 13 January and the final will crown the Africa Cup of Nations champions on February 11 🙌🍿

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Madness. He’s been so hard done by at his last 2 clubs. Both so quick to forget his achievements. Top coach and super bloke.

[Sunderland AFC @SunderlandAFC]

Sunderland AFC has this evening parted company with Head Coach Tony Mowbray.

#SAFC

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@MailSport Revealed?! Really?

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Have had tough days on the road in football - that was right up there. But then again we used to come up here for Bury. @BrentfordFC #MUNBRE

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@BrentfordFC Flekken leaves it 😱😱. Enough is enough.

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Totally on point. Quality of officiating several levels below pre-VAR era. Panicked decisions, frequently “levelled up” i.e. compounding one error with another. Pawson catastrophic performance in #NEWBRE yday prime example

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

Paul Heckingbottom’s incredible rant on Premier League officials. It’s hard to disagree with a word he says. 👏

🎥 @talkSPORT

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@BrentfordFC Ivan?!

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@HillF1 Scary how good would he have been around today’s circuits and in the modern car….

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Unbelievable achievement @zharnel_hughes - fastest Brit of all time 🙌

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

Fantastic to see @FerrariHypercar on top step of the podium @24hoursoflemans after such a long absence. Another golden era of sportscar racing is upon us! #LeMans24

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@virginmedia Yes and will be for the foreseeable. I’m far from the only dissatisfied customer in my area….

[Hugo Lavell @HugoLavell]

@virginmedia - where do I start. Broadband out for a week. 2 aborted engineer visits - no reasons given for no shows. 2 hours on the phone with “customer service”. Tried to terminate - expect me to pay 30 days plus 2 weeks with no service. Already pay £60/month. Total disgrace.