A Man United vs Liverpool fixture at Old Trafford is normally one full of drama, goals and talking points and this weekends fixture was no different, apart from the talking point wasn’t an entertaining game or a top goal; The talking point was VAR.
VAR has always been a massive talking point since its introduction to the sport. Why does Football need technology? Will the breaks in play disrupt the game? Will VAR ruin celebrating a goal? Why does the ref take so long to review? These are the sorts of questions that were asked. Quite simply though Football does need the technology and needs to adopt such as Tennis, Rugby and Cricket already has. Let’s not forget before VAR was introduced, Football had technology in the form of Goal Line Technology; This is to assist the referee is the ball has crossed the line and is a clear goal. A clear example where technology has been implemented and works well. The reason for the introduction of VAR was that as a player, supporter or pundit, you could walk away from a game knowing the correct decisions had been made.
Fifa World Cup: Introduction of VAR
When VAR made its debut on the World’s biggest stage; The 2018 Football World Cup I was a bit sceptical. How would it change the landscape of the sport? But on the whole it was a huge success. Referees were able to review their original decisions by watching a replay on a screen at the side of a pitch and have a conversation with the all the officials and overturn or stick with their decision. Fans watching on TV are kept up to date with replays and the commentators discussing the action; However It’s the fans in the stadium who are left out. They see no replays and are in limbo for the minutes it takes to review a decision.
I think it’s in this situation where Football needs to learn from Rugby and Cricket. Two Sports which have successfully implemented technology. When decisions are reviewed the fans in the stadium and those at home know exactly what is going on, the thought process of the referees and what the final outcome is. At the end of the process you know the correct decision is made and you move on. Football needs to work on the interaction with the fans as currently we do not know the referees thought processes and the decisions are still open to scrutiny.
VAR in the Premier League
The Introduction of VAR in the Premier League was welcome by most fans after a successful World Cup just over a year ago. The Premier League have however made some changes. It will only be used for the following:
- goal scored
- penalty awarded
- straight red card shown
- cases of mistaken identity
VAR can also alert officials of incidents of foul play missed by a referee, such as an off-the ball incident. Subjective decisions are the only ones where the clear and obvious rule is applied, and the PGMOL have instructed officials there should be a high bar in place before overturning decisions. Incidents that are subjective include potential fouls given or not, simulation and handballs.
Factual decisions will not be subject to the clear and obvious test – they are treated as yes/no decisions.
These factual decisions revolve around:
- a player offside?
- a foul in or out of the penalty area?
- was the ball in or out of play leading up to a goal?
That means even the tightest of offside decisions will be taken as factual yes or no, whether there was an obvious mistake made or not
No Pitchside Monitor..
One of the Main changes though is the referee does not head to a pitch side monitor to review his own decision, he will rely on the VAR officials to make the decision; This is designed to speed up decisions and not have any long breaks in play.
Fast forward to the Sunday just gone when Manchester United hosted Liverpool. United opened the scoring with a goal by Marcus Rashford, however there was a foul on Divock Origi in the build up that wasn’t given. The incident was reviewed and deemed not a clear and obvious error and the goal stood. For me it was a foul anywhere on that pitch; On review the goal shouldn’t of stood and the foul given. The Incident incensed Jurgen Klopp who deemed the foul to be “clear and obvious” and the goal should not of stood!
The next incident Is when Mane thought he had equalised but on review was disallowed because of the new handball rule (Don’t get me started on this stupid rule!) but any touch of the ball on the hand in a build up to the goal leads to the goal being disallowed; According to the current laws of the game – Correct decision.
What an absolute Farce!
In the Sheffield United Vs Arsenal game on Monday night there was a penalty shout for Arsenal; Which to me was a penalty but was not overturned and there was no penalty. If the referee was allowed to review his own decision I am sure it would of been a penalty; The pull from the defender hindered the player going to header the goal and is a clear foul. VAR in its current form is an absolute farce. Only one subjective decision has been overturned in 89 Premier League games, one!? VAR officials are reluctant to overturn their colleagues decisions.
It is making a mockery out of one of the best leagues in the World. If VAR is going to work in the Premier League then we need Referee’s to be accountable for their decisions. They need to be able to review their decisions. Quite astonishingly this is in the IFAB guidelines which the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have decided to go against.
Changes need to be made now
VAR has the ability to work, we know this as it works well in International football and in the Champion League; However its current format in the Premier League is not working and should be changed before more incidents and uproar occur. Going forward Referee’s should be involved in the review process with the VAR match official; And as a result the correct decision should be made. The current reluctance to overturn decisions will end if the referee is accountable as they should be.
VAR is not taking the job of the referee but actually aiding the referee in making the correct decisions – We all want to see the correct decisions in sport. I also think we can take some tips from Rugby and Cricket and make the crowd in the stadium aware of the decision making process and can hear the referee speaking to his match officials. This will cut out any misinterpretations and people will be more accepting of decisions.
Overall we know how good VAR can be but has had its teething problems in the Premier League – But now is the time to act!
