EU must be joking: How English football manager Ian Holloway lost the plot in VAR Brexit rant

English football manager and pundit Ian Holloway has attracted ridicule and disbelief after suggesting that the new handball rule, and the introduction of VAR, are somehow reasons why Britain should exit the European Union.

If that statement above sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is, yet that’s what Holloway said on Sky Sports show The Debate as he discussed the controversial VAR decision to disallow of Gabriel Jesus’ goal for Manchester City against Tottenham at the weekend.

Holloway, whose quirky, amusing quotes made throughout his managerial career have made him a popular character within the game, seemed to be making a reasonable point regarding the new tweak to the handball law, which states that if the ball strikes an arm or a hand - even accidentally - and leads to a goal, then that goal should be disallowed.

But then the former Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle manager appeared to take leave of his senses for a couple of seconds as she suddenly inserted a call for Britain to leave the EU.

“They should get rid of that rule straight away. It doesn't make sense,” he said.

“The most important thing of all... their job, is to not re-referee the game, it's to be clear and obvious... so I don't think that's our boys making up that change in the law, I think that's people telling us what we should do with our game. Now they should stop doing that.”

© AFP / Carl Court

Then, to the amazement of seemingly everyone watching, Holloway went off the rails…

“I hope we get out - Brexit - because that's what we all voted for - sort it out - because you cannot have someone telling us how to do our own game, right.”

Holloway’s comments have been ridiculed on social media, and rightly so. Trying to link Brexit to football rule changes is laughable.

To clarify, the European Union has no input into the Laws of the Game. That falls under the jurisdiction of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who communicate any changes to the Laws of the Game - or changes to the interpretation of them - ahead of each season, or major tournament.

Based on his comments, perhaps Holloway wants the Premier League to opt out and run their own version of football. 

Maybe we could call it “Prexit”.