Danny Murphy believes the first two months of the Premier League season are at risk of becoming a farce because of Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
VAR has been under the spotlight in recent weeks because of controversies at the Women’s World Cup.
It was also the focus during England’s 3-0 win over Cameroon on Sunday as the Lionesses reached the quarter-finals.
VAR will be introduced into the Premier League for the first time next season with some concerned about the implications.
The technology was used at the 2018 World Cup and has also been largely a success in LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
Murphy told talkSPORT: “VAR, unless it is dramatically changed and used very, very sensitively, is going to make the first month or two of the Premier League farcical.
“The problem with VAR is that the fluidity of football and the adrenaline and raw emotion it provokes is being stopped.
“I was against VAR at first but the Russia World Cup experience and being out there probably lured me into a false sense of security.
“Watching the Women’s World Cup and generally every time I watch a game with VAR it becomes farcical.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy also believes the delay in checking decisions will see that special moment of scoring a goal lost.
He added: “People go to football to enjoy themselves. It’s theatre on a football pitch if you like.
“Scoring goals is ultimately what everyone wants to see. That euphoric moment is being lost because of VAR.
“It is also being lost for the players. Players are going to stop celebrating properly because they are going to think ‘I’m going to look stupid until they check’ but the delayed check means the celebration isn’t going to be real and you are going to lose that as a player and as a supporter.”