{
  "id": 2592816,
  "title": "FACT CHECK: Did Wenger say Man United would be mid-table with video replays?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/fact-check-did-wenger-say-man-united-would-be-mid-table-with-video",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T14:56:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/fact-check-did-wenger-say-man-united-would-be-mid-table-with-video-replays/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, made a statement in January 2005 about Manchester United and video replays. The remark came during a public dispute with then-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Wenger argued that if officials had the benefit of video replays, Manchester United would be mid-table in the league. However, this statement does not refer to the modern Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which was not in use in English football at the time. Wenger's comment was about video replays, not VAR.",
  "summary": "PUNCH Online fact-checks Arsène Wenger’s 2005 comment about Manchester United being mid-table with video replays. Was he talking about VAR? Find out here. Read More: https://punchng.com/fact-check-did-wenger-say-man-united-would-be-mid-table-with-video-replays/",
  "key_points": [
    "Arsène Wenger made statement in January 2005",
    "Manchester United would be mid-table with video replays",
    "Comment about video replays, not VAR"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "FACT CHECK: Did Wenger say Man United would be mid-table with video replays?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/fact-check-did-wenger-say-man-united-would-be-mid-table-with-video",
        "published": "2026-08-22T15:16:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}