Former Newcastle striker Mick Quinn says that VAR is "draining the passion" out of football.
Fans were subjected to a lengthy delay during Newcastle’s League Cup defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday as VAR decided whether or not to rule out a second goal scored by Antoine Semenyo.
It was decided that the goal would be chalked off, as Erling Haaland was found marginally offside and interfering with goalkeeper Nick Pope's ability to stop the shot.
Quinn was not impressed by the amount of disruption VAR caused.
"That was a joke," Quinn told BBC Radio Newcastle. “VAR’s killing the game.
"It was five or six minutes of waiting.
"The ref needed some help, OK, then you've got guys who are hundreds of miles away making a decision – and then can't make a decision.
"They have to ask the referee to the screen to make his own decision."
After Semenyo's goal was chalked off, Newcastle had 20 minutes to draw the home leg level – before nine minutes of injury time was added on in recognition of the delay caused by VAR.
"It's bonkers, it's absolutely bonkers," Quinn said.
"VAR is like a vampire, draining the passion out of the game.
"Ironically, the biggest roar of the night from Newcastle fans was for the nine minutes of extra time they added for wasting that VAR time, but it was all in vein, it backfired with that Cherki goal at the death."
You can listen to the rest of Quinn’s analysis on the Man City defeat on BBC Radio Newcastle
