Video Assistant Referees (VAR)

[Figures 1-0 Football]

I think it’s about time VAR has it’s own thread, to discuss the pros and cons of a system that looks like it’s going to be implemented whether we like it or not.

 

It was described as "comical" by former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas, while Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said he felt "sorry for the referee".

 

It's fair to say the video assistant referee (VAR) made quite an impact on Wednesday.

 

Controversy dominated the first half of Tottenham's 6-1 win over Rochdale in their FA Cup fifth-round replay, with a goal disallowed and a converted penalty overturned

 

I’ve also just seen the Juventus v Atalanta game from yesterday. In the first leg, a handball was given via VAR for what looks like a very innocuous ‘ball to hand’ - last night, in the second leg the exact same thing happened and it wasn’t even reviewed

[Guest neesy111]

It's a joke, either scrap it completely or just go 1 challenge a game system where only the on-field captain can challenge.

[Wullie]

I hate it but I don't see it going anywhere.

[NG32]

1 challenge per half until it speeds up, don't get rid of it as it just new tech.

[Figures 1-0 Football]

1 challenge per half until it speeds up, don't get rid of it as it just new tech.

 

Would teams not just use this in the latter stages to waste time though?

 

If you’re clinging onto a 1-0 in injury time, you could just make a challenge about anything to try and slow the game down.

[Disco]

I hate it but I don't see it going anywhere.

 

 

The way it has been actively pushed by Sky/BT etc. has also been excruciating and shamelessly blatant.

[NG32]

1 challenge per half until it speeds up, don't get rid of it as it just new tech.

 

Would teams not just use this in the latter stages to waste time though?

 

If you’re clinging onto a 1-0 in injury time, you could just make a challenge about anything to try and slow the game down.

 

Well the ref would ad the time on so trying to time waste wouldn't make a difference.

[triggs]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

[Guest neesy111]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

[Kevo]

It’s awful. Simple as that.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I don't really like the idea of challenges, the principle should be to get as many decisions right as possible.

 

Personally my approach would be to tell players and managers to just accept the decisions of officials.

[Wullie]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

Haven't we kind of accepted that anyway, over nearly 100 years of the rule being in place?

 

It's not the fans that have made this introduction necessary, it's the money in the game. A wrong offside call is no longer an unfortunate bit of sporting luck and something to moan about in the pub, it's the potential to lose the glorious riches of the Premier League.

[Away Day Gadgie]

Love the idea of VAR as i think a lot of officials are corrupt at worst and weak or incompetant at best. But the way VAR is being implimented at the minute is a joke as there doesn’t seem to be any clear way of using it, we’re seeing bizzarre and confusing incidents in almost every match.  I expected there to be teething problems but they’ve made a total mess of the whole thing, it almost looks deliberate to me.

[thenige]

Just let them play the match, then at the end go over every decision and change the score accordingly.

 

Means teams will always have to attack as you wouldn't know if you're winning 2-0 or actually 0-1 down.

 

Exactly the kind of wonderful idea I can imagine the brains of World football backing wholeheartedly.

[Paully]

Just read that the VAR decisions took eight minutes 30 seconds yet only five minutes were added on at half time!

[Dave]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

Better than with VAR in which linesmen aren't going to flag for tight offside calls in the first place as there is literally no benefit in them doing so.

[triggs]

 

 

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

Better than with VAR in which linesmen aren't going to flag for tight offside calls in the first place as there is literally no benefit in them doing so.

 

Don't see how that's better

[Paully]

Well said Poch!

 

Pochettino added: 'The first half was embarrassing. Everyone was confused and we need to respect the fans. Emotion is why you pay for the ticket, that is why you come to the game when the conditions are so bad.

 

'Then you (will) say 'OK, I am going to watch the game through the TV and stay at home because if I cannot shout when we score because we need to wait two minutes, you cannot express yourself'.

 

“I am for the new technology but be careful when you change the game that we know.'

[ohmelads]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

Better than with VAR in which linesmen aren't going to flag for tight offside calls in the first place as there is literally no benefit in them doing so.

 

True, can see a lot of this happening. Linesmen will let play go on despite their doubts and figure that if it leads to a goal, the VAR people will deal with it anyway. It's better than risking wrongly flagging and creating an injustice that VAR can't reverse and having your name in the papers. If linesman start letting anything tight go, it'll lead to a lot of goals (hopefully correctly) being disallowed for offside. When that happens, it in turn creates a situation where fans can never freely celebrate until VAR confirms they've scored a goal.  It dilutes the excitement of a goal going in, and I think that's one of the things which makes football unique compared with other sports.

 

I was all in favour of the concept because certain teams are getting a lot of dodgy decisions their way while others clearly aren't. But there's no guarantee it'll be applied consistently and I hadn't imagined all this mess it would cause. Sports like rugby, cricket and American football have constant stoppages anyway, so it's easier to apply to those sports.

[The College Dropout]

I think it should only be used for blatent issues.  If VAR can’t tell the ref within 30 seconds conclusively then the refs decision goes.

 

No replaying offsides again and again or penalty decisions.

[The College Dropout]

Goal line tech is great. It’s very quick. 

 

It needs to be that level of speed.

 

Offside is often too time consuming

 

Likewise with penalties. 

 

[pinkeye]

That match last night between Spurs and Rochdale was crazy, the ref standing there with his finger to his ear for several minutes waiting for decisions to be made.

 

The BT Sports team asking their token ref what he thought of the VAR decisions such as the penalty awarded to Spurs for a foul that was outside the box and continued into the box until the Spurs player fell down....  "yes, definitely a penalty"  The amount of these that are awarded as free kicks outside the box makes that decision alone ludicrous..

 

I honestly think if the VAR had said free kick outside the box them their commentary ref (Graham Poll I think) would probably have agreed with that as well..

 

If they are going to do it then it should be like rugby with the conversation being played through the PA System in the ground for all to hear.

 

As it stands right now I absolutely hate it.

[Disco]

Well said Poch!

 

Pochettino added: 'The first half was embarrassing. Everyone was confused and we need to respect the fans. Emotion is why you pay for the ticket, that is why you come to the game when the conditions are so bad.

 

'Then you (will) say 'OK, I am going to watch the game through the TV and stay at home because if I cannot shout when we score because we need to wait two minutes, you cannot express yourself'.

 

“I am for the new technology but be careful when you change the game that we know.'

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

There are many, many things that need fixing in football ahead of this non-broken issue.

[sixx]

Doubt it'll happen but if VAR is not going to be implemented then fans have to just accept that linesmen aren't going to get tight offside calls right all the time as they are basically guessing

 

Haven't we kind of accepted that anyway, over nearly 100 years of the rule being in place?

 

It's not the fans that have made this introduction necessary, it's the money in the game. A wrong offside call is no longer an unfortunate bit of sporting luck and something to moan about in the pub, it's the potential to lose the glorious riches of the Premier League.

This. It's just a manifestation of how football has become so horribly monetized. Also think there's a level of self-entitlement about it. Just steers football away from being fun and further towards being first and foremost a business. Just dull.

[thomas]

It seems poorly implemented now if the wait is genuinely that long. I didn't watch the match but if it's causing ridiculous stoppages then it's shite.

 

That said, i genuinely believe reducing the capacity for human error to be a good thing and not draining of the soul of the sport. in any sport. someone is either onside or they're not, it's not a judgement call. I think a good balance of application has to be found and maybe the results of the first iteration of an idea shouldn't be used as a bludgeon against future improvements.