Just when you think you've seen it all in football... a bloody fire alarm forces VAR officials to evacuate Stockley Park right in the middle of a Premier League match. I can't make this stuff up!

What the hell happened?

So there I was, watching Tottenham getting absolutely schooled by Nottingham Forest (already down 2-0 at half-time), when the Premier League drops this bombshell announcement that VAR is temporarily unavailable. My first thought? Someone at Spurs must've pulled teh alarm to try and change their fortunes!

Turns out referee John Brooks and his assistant Dan Robathan had to literally flee the VAR hub when alarms started blaring. Can you imagine? "Sorry lads, can't check that potential penalty, building might be on fire!"

Forest were already cooking Spurs

Before this bizarre interruption, Forest were absolutely dominating. Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood had put Nuno Espirito Santo's side 2-0 up.

God. The irony that Nuno was back at Tottenham and giving them a proper beating wasn't lost on anyone.

The VAR blackout lasted about eight minutes into the second half before they managed to get everything back up and running. Lucky for the officials, nothing controversial happened during that window - though I suspect several managers around the league were furiously taking notes on how to trigger fire alarms for future matches they're losing.

Football without technology? Revolutionary concept!

The Premier League's statement was hilariously brief: "The match will be operating without VAR until further notice due to a fire alarm at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park."

I texted my editor immediately: "Breaking news - football briefly returns to how it was played for over 100 years and somehow survives!"

Back in 2018, we were all debating whether VAR would ruin the game. Now we're apparently so dependent on it that a fire alarm becomes international news.

Fans weren't exactly devastated

The social media reaction was... predictable.

"We had freedom for about one minute," wrote one fan, capturing the sentiment of about 90% of football supporters who've had decisions go against their team.

Another suggested "Whoever set the fire alarm off deserves a raise" while someone else chimed in with "Quick, someone go break the emergency glass again."

I spent $40 on a pizza and beer to watch this match, and honestly, the fire alarm drama was worth every penny.

A glimpse into the VAR-less promised land

For those precious eight minutes, we got to experience football as it once was... where decisions were made instantly, no one drew geometric shapes on screens, and we all just accepted that refs sometimes make mistakes.

It was beautiful. Like seeing a unicorn.

Then they fixed it.

This is still a developing story, but I'm holding out hope that someone pulls the alarm again before the next controversial decision. (Just kidding, Premier League officials who might be reading this. Or am I?)

Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and on Twitter at @TheSunFootball for more updates on this and other football news.

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External Links

adidas.com

• Adidas Football Cleats

decathlon.co.uk

• Decathlon

podiatrytoday.com

• Podiatry Today Guide on Soccer Cleats

uksoccershop.com

• UKSoccerShop

fifa.com

• FIFA's Laws of the Game

How To

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