The Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest on Monday night was marred by an unprecedented interruption when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was temporarily suspended due to a fire alarm at Stockley Park, the central hub for VAR operations. The incident occurred at the start of the second half, with Nottingham Forest leading 2-0, and added a layer of chaos to Tottenham’s 2-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed the disruption via a statement on X: “The match will be operating without VAR until further notice due to a fire alarm at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park.” The alarm forced officials to evacuate the west London facility, halting video reviews for several minutes. Sky Sports commentators reported that the issue was resolved within five minutes, with VAR operations resuming after officials returned to their posts.
The match, which saw Nottingham Forest secure a 2-1 victory thanks to early goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood, was not directly impacted by the VAR outage, as no major decisions required review during the brief suspension. However, the incident sparked confusion among fans and players alike. Earlier in the game, a goal by Forest’s Chris Wood was disallowed for offside using the Premier League’s semi-automated offside technology, a decision made before the fire alarm disruption.
This is not the first time Stockley Park has faced such an issue. A similar fire alarm incident occurred during a match between Ipswich Town and Manchester United in November 2024, forcing officials to briefly abandon their posts. The recurrence has raised questions about the reliability of the VAR hub’s infrastructure, with some fans on X jokingly blaming unrelated teams, such as Arsenal supporters pointing fingers at Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest’s victory, driven by the tactical acumen of former Tottenham boss Nuno Espírito Santo, propelled the visitors back to third in the Premier League, reigniting their Champions League qualification hopes. Tottenham, meanwhile, struggled, with Richarlison’s late header offering a glimmer of hope before Forest held firm through five minutes of stoppage time. The defeat piles further pressure on Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, whose side languishes in 16th place.