Portmore United Assistant Coach Ricardo Smith believes video assistant referee (VAR) should be introduced for the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League play-offs after his club had a goal ruled out during their 0-1 defeat to Mount Pleasant Football Academy in the first-leg semi-final at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Warner Brown’s 82nd-minute strike was enough to give Mount Pleasant the advantage as they look to secure their fourth consecutive final.

However, Portmore were left frustrated after believing they took the lead in the 70th minute. National striker Cory Burke fired a shot at goal which Mount Pleasant goalkeeper Shaquan Davis pushed on to the underside of the crossbar before being cleared by teammate Kimoni Bailey. However, referee Okeito Nicholson awarded the goal after judging the ball had crossed the line.

During Portmore’s celebrations, Mount Pleasant players protested which led Nicholson to have a discussion with his assistant referee who was seemingly in line with the play.

After a few minutes, Nicholson changed his mind and cancelled the goal, much to the displeasure of Portmore players and technical staff. Supporters of the club in the west end of the grandstand created an uproar with many walking out before the final whistle.

While admitting he couldn’t tell if the ball definitively crossed the line, Smith says the referee was wrong in overturning his decision.

“I was just hoping he would have stuck to the first call he made, pointing to the spot. But obviously, the linesman told him that the ball didn’t cross the line. I was just there waiting to see if we got the goal and everything, but we just didn’t,” Smith said.

He believes VAR would have helped in dealing with such a controversial decision.

“We could have won the game tonight, we didn’t but I’m saying, in a big game like this, I’ve seen where VAR has been used (at the National Stadium) before. Why couldn’t the Federation or whoever set that up for these big games and so forth. That’s what I was questioning. Why isn’t VAR system set up for these games?”

VAR has been used in major Concacaf competitions held in Kingston including the World Cup Qualifiers, Nations League and Caribbean Cup.

In November 2024, the Jamaica Observer reported that the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) was in talks to introduce the system for the 2025 playoffs. However, it didn’t materialise and was further complicated due to the exit of broadcast partners Sportsmax.

Although Mount Pleasant ultimately benefited from the decision, Head Coach Theodore Whitmore remained coy on the situation.

“I’m not a referee. I’m not a VAR,” he said. “There’s a procedure you have to follow and I don’t think the referee followed the procedure. I’m dealing with coaching — I’m not a referee or assessor or nothing — that’s their part to deal with,” Whitmore said.

Although disappointed, Smith says the team will give their best in Wednesday’s second leg at the National Stadium at 6:00 pm.

“We have to move forward, we don’t have enough time — two days in-between the next game,” he said. “We have to just keep the mentality that we came in the game with that we can win. We know we can win the game and we just have to come and turn it around.”

In the other second-leg semi-final at 9:00 pm, defending champions Cavalier FC will also look to overturn a one-goal deficit against Montego Bay United.

— Daniel Blake

Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, Mount Pleasant head coach (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Ricardo Smith Portmore United assistant coach