Rooney wants 'rid of VAR' as 'rubbish' statement 'covers up' Henderson '100% red card'

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has called for English football to “get rid of VAR” after Dean Henderson escaped what he insisted was a “100% red card”.

Crystal Palace goalkeeper Henderson was at the centre of controversy during Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City when he handled the ball outside the box.

After hesitating when dealing with a long ball, he beat Erling Haaland to it by illegally pushing it wide with his hand outside the penalty area.

Neither the referee nor his assistant gave the foul — whether due to the VAR safety net or sheer incompetence.

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VAR did review the incident and confirmed Henderson had handled the ball outside his area, but the referee could not be sent to the monitor to review a possible yellow card or free-kick.

Officials concluded Henderson had not denied a clear goalscoring opportunity — a far more subjective judgment than the handball itself.

Having avoided a red card, Henderson went on to save an Omar Marmoush penalty with Palace leading 1–0, because of course he did.

Despite admitting it may have improved the spectacle for Henderson to stay on the pitch, Rooney was livid, insisting “it was 100% a red card”.

Rooney said: “It’s a red card — 100% a red card.

“Erling Haaland is about to knock it around him and Dean Henderson sweeps the ball away. It is a red card — how can they get this wrong?”

Gary Lineker then read out a VAR statement explaining why no red card was issued: “The direction in which Erling Haaland was going made it possible, but not an obvious goalscoring opportunity.”

Rooney’s response was both scathing and hilarious.

“Just get rid of VAR,” he said.

“They’ve made a mistake and now they’re trying to cover it up. It’s a red card — everyone can see it’s a red card.

“To come out with all this rubbish…”

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