Frustrated coach raises concerns: ‘We’re throwing money away’ after Macarthur misses out on finals contention.

Macarthur Bulls’ head coach Mile Sterjovski expressed his discontent with the VAR system after the 2024 Australia Cup champions saw their ambitions for a top-six finish in the Isuzu UTE A-League curtailed by Melbourne Victory.

The Bulls suffered a 2-1 defeat to the visiting Victory on Friday night in Campbelltown, a result that depleted Macarthur’s chances of qualifying for the Finals Series with only one round left to play.

Victory took the lead with first-half goals from Ryan Teague and Kasey Bos, although Chris Ikonomidis netted a goal back in the second half as the Bulls attempted a comeback.

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In the second half, Macarthur appealed for two penalties—one for handball and another for a foul on Marin Jakolis—but the eighth-placed Bulls were left disappointed as neither claim was upheld.

“I believe both were penalties,” Sterjovski remarked in his post-match press conference.

“VAR had the opportunity to review those incidents. I often wonder why we even have VAR.”

“They were given the time to assess it. We saw a replay on the big screen, and to me, one of those was undeniably a penalty.”

“It feels like a waste of resources continuing to spend on VAR each season. I’ve heard it costs over $1 million annually to implement.”

“It seems like a poor use of funds; that money could be better allocated elsewhere.”