Bournemouth vs. Wolves: Fans fume at record 8-minute VAR check

Both sets of fans at the Vitality Stadium were up in arms during Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round clash between Bournemouth and Wolves after an English record eight-minute VAR check.

Hosts Bournemouth were already a goal up just around the half-hour mark when Milos Kerkez extended their advantage with a back-post header. However, uncertainty over whether he was offside provoked a surprisingly long check from the VAR, Timothy Wood.

Per the Football Association’s guidance, semi-automated offside system would never be used in that circumstance due to the number of bodies in a tight space around the goalmouth, causing the VAR to resort to protocol and use the old technology — drawing the lines and judging for himself.

A source told ESPN that two handball decisions in the incident added to the delay, which lasted almost eight minutes, with both sets of fans angrily chanting “it’s not football anymore” and “this is embarrassing.”

Finally, the goal was ruled out for offside.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Bournemouth eventually winning on penalties and booking their spot in the quarterfinals.

The long-awaited semi-automated offside system is making its debut in England this weekend during the FA Cup fifth round. It was used for the first time on Friday to assess the build-up to Aston Villa’s opening goal in their 2-0 win over Cardiff City.

Information from ESPN’s Bobby Emmanuel, Dale Johnson and Reuters contributed to this report.