Chelsea boss Tuchel NOT impressed with VAR chief Dean admitting he was wrong not to flag Cucurella hair pull to referee
CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is not impressed with VAR chief Mike Dean after the former referee admitted he was wrong for not flagging Cristian Romero’s hair pull on Marc Cucurella.
Last Sunday’s London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham saw an added-time equaliser and a manager bust-up on the touchline, resulting in both bosses being sent off.
VAR also came into question when it didn’t flag Romero’s hair pull on Cucurella from a corner.
Dean, who was the man on VAR, has admitted his fault in not flagging the incident to referee Anthony Taylor.
Speaking in his column for The Mail, he said: “In the few seconds I had to study Romero pulling Cucurella‘s hair, I didn’t deem it a violent act.
“I’ve since studied the footage, spoken to other referees and, upon reflection, I should have asked Taylor to visit his pitch-side monitor to take a look for himself.
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“The referee on field always has the final say.”
But Dean’s admission hasn’t gone down well with Chelsea boss Tuchel.
The German says he struggles “a little bit to be fully impressed by [Dean’s] statement”.
Tuchel said ahead of Chelsea’s game against Leeds: “Hopefully I am not too honest but if a mistake is that big and obvious, what is the point in not admitting it for the whole season?
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“I struggle a little bit to be fully impressed by [Dean’s] statement, I have to say.
“It is so clear and obvious, I cannot understand how a referee cannot make the decision that was the right decision.”
Tuchel continued: “It was the VAR who got it totally wrong in this case.
“I think it could be more transparent, to make it easier.
“Maybe they could explain the decisions on the field to everybody: why they take this decision, why a goal is not allowed, why it is disallowed, why he is overruling his own decision.”