Juan Jesus: No improvement with VAR, Serie A legends would ‘play a game and miss the next’ | OneFootball

Napoli defender Juan Jesus feels VAR is creating more confusion than before, so it ‘becomes hard for everyone to remain passionate about football.’

Napoli defender Juan Jesus has strongly criticised the recent use of VAR in Serie A.

Juan Jesus: ‘We’ve taken a step backwards’ with VAR

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 19: Referee Daniele Chiffi cancels a goal for Udinese Calcio after consulting the VAR during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 19, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

During an interview with Sport Mediaset on the eve of a Coppa Italia match against Como, the Brazilian said: “I’ve lived through two different eras, like De Rossi. I’ve spent 15 years in Italy, even when there was a referee behind the goal line. If there are tools to help referees make fewer mistakes, that’s great, but from what I see, there’s a debate about everything: penalties, free kicks, yellow or red cards. We know the referee is a human being. Today, I don’t see any improvement in anything. There’s nothing but controversy, with us and with any other team. I think we’ve taken a step backwards instead of forward.”

Napoli secured a 3-2 win over De Rossi’s Genoa thanks to a late penalty kick earned by Antonio Vergara.

De Rossi was highly critical of the decision, saying: “The football that I played in no longer exists.”

Juan Jesus seemed to agree with his former Roma teammate: “There’s a bit of confusion. If there’s a line, you follow it. Otherwise, you leave things as they were before,” said the Napoli defender.

“There has to be room for a human being to make mistakes, whether it’s the referee or the linesman. I remember my handball against Lecce. I couldn’t do anything. My arm was tucked in; there was no opponent behind me. On the freeze-frame, they saw that I touched it. The same goes for a stamp. Football is played with your feet, not with your hands. If every time there’s a contact on the attacker’s foot, even in midfield, it should always be a foul. If it turns into the kind of confusion we’ve been seeing lately, unfortunately, it becomes hard for everyone to remain passionate about football.

GENOA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 7: Daniele De Rossi, head coach of Genoa (left), greets Juan Jesus of Napoli prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on February 7, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

“I heard what De Rossi said, and we are sorry. Maybe players will start training to hit the ball onto an opponent’s hand to win a penalty, or go to look for contact inside the box. It becomes a bad advert for the game.”

Juan Jesus has played for Inter, Roma and Napoli in Serie A. He arrived in Italy from Internacional in 2012, joining Inter, where he spent the following four seasons.

The experienced Brazilian centre-back has crossed paths with some legendary Serie A defenders over the last 15 years.

“I played in an era with defenders like Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci. I had the pleasure to play alongside Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu and Lucio,” he concluded.

“They were all physical defenders who enjoyed contact. If they played today, they’d play one match and miss the next.”