THE Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced to level the playing field in terms of incorrect decisions by the referee which could harm the affected team greatly. Two years into its existence and already there have been so many criticisms and proposals to get rid of it.
A recent survey conducted by the Football Supporters Association in England, among some 33,000 fans, revealed that 40% would likely attend fewer games because the VAR had taken some level of enjoyment from the game because of time taken to confirm decisions.
Moreover, it has become such a dampener when goals are scored and the spontaneity of celebrating a goal is lost because the VAR can be a real spoiler.
But really, is the VAR going to keep fans away from attending matches, particularly since they have been starved of matchday action for about 1 ½ seasons now. The Champions League and Europa League finals were sold out although matches were played to limited capacity.
An indication of whether fans were going to stay away was seen in the round of 16 match between England and Germany at the Euros which saw a full capacity (the permitted number of some 44,000) at Wembley. At the Puskas Stadium in Hungary matches were played to full capacity. This surely is a forebode of what we can expect when the new season begins in August.
The VAR may have its sore points but fans are certainly not going to stay away as evidenced by the turnout at the Euros. Fans are the heart and soul of the game and in many instances, the 12th man.
The match officials used to be the final adjudicators with decisions but now they are downgraded to a secondary role since the ‘head referee’ using video footage has the final say.
Has this spoilt the flow of the game in the name of fair play and justice?
Maybe football can take a cue from cricket where the Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) has the umpires in full control. If the umpire is not sure he can refer to the third umpire, who does not interfere otherwise, for a decision.
The onus is on the teams to challenge the umpire’s decision as each team is given a certain number of reviews be it be T20, One Day International or a Test match. If the umpire’s decision is adjudged to be wrong, the review is retained. There is hardly any dissent as opposed to football where players are often seen surrounding the referee when a dispute arises.
The Premier League seems to have taken a step forward for next season as they plan on using ‘thicker lines’ so as to eliminate marginal offside decisions that have incurred the wrath of fans and players alike.
Already in use in the Dutch league, this is expected to hand the advantage back to the attacking team. We have seen offside decisions being given for just a toe or a finger, absolutely ridiculous.
For the VAR to be successful, there would also be a need to have competent people managing it. A red card decision is sent for a VAR check and that is certainly fair game. But in the last game of the season between Chelsea and Aston Villa, Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta was given a red after VAR check. However, the appeals board overturned the decision which raises the question of just how good is a VAR?
At the ongoing Euro 2020, though, VAR has taken the shortest time in making a decision (about 100 seconds) and UEFA have an additional official only looking out for offside decisions.
As per UEFA statistics, decisions on handball and offside have taken a far shorter time and VAR only intervened 12 times in the group stages. However, penalty decisions have doubled compared to the previous Euros and one that was significant was when Switzerland were awarded a penalty against France in the round of 16 after the referee had completely missed it.
UEFA’s chief of refereeing, Roberto Rosetti, has stated that a VAR is there to assist the referee and not to usurp his role. He says it's minimum interference for maximum benefit.
So, it does seem VAR is here to stay and rules will be tweaked along the way so that it is fair to all concerned. After all, VAR was introduced with the best of intentions – to ensure there is greater fairness within the game and no team should feel robbed because of some dubious decision. – The Vibes. July 5, 2021
