VAR opinion. Thoughts?
- Thread starter alexv
- Start date
The history of football has been one of adding more and more ways to get a wrong decision fixed by including a greater number of perspectives and allowing for finer consideration of the various facts and factors involved in each situation.
We've accepted assistant referees virtually making decisions on a range of situations for decades, then AARs adding their bit to some of them, then GLT adding its bit.
VAR is just a natural evolution of the same process that has been ongoing since the earliest days. It is exactly what people wanted. The problem has never been with the decision-making process, but with the idea that some of the decisions it makes will inevitably go against the opinion or the ideals of the speaker.
We've accepted assistant referees virtually making decisions on a range of situations for decades, then AARs adding their bit to some of them, then GLT adding its bit.
VAR is just a natural evolution of the same process that has been ongoing since the earliest days. It is exactly what people wanted. The problem has never been with the decision-making process, but with the idea that some of the decisions it makes will inevitably go against the opinion or the ideals of the speaker.
The Referee
Well-Known Member
I think video reviews are good for the game; it's just been implemented incompetently. IFAB, it appears, absolutely refuses to 'copy' other sports - even sin bins have been needlessly complicated.
Football could learn from other sports regarding the way video reviews have been implemented.
Football could learn from other sports regarding the way video reviews have been implemented.
I agree. I definitely agree with fans who think that VAR decisions can ruin the excitement and has the potential to make people think twice about celebrating goals
zarathustra
RefChat Addict
I think the thoughts in the first post some it up perfectly.
Supporters and teams couldn't accept that humans make mistakes, so they demanded perfect officiating where mistakes are never made.
VAR gives them that to a degree, there will always be an element of human error. But people have now realised that they don't want perfect refereeing, as there are now things going against them which wouldn't have previously, and it is obviously the fault of VAR, not the fault of the people who demanded it for years and years and years.
I think a better way would have been closer to the rugby approach, where the referee asks the VAR to review a specific incident, which is then played back on the big screen (where available).
For example, if the ball pings around the penalty area before going out with play, the referee and AR think something might have happened, i.e. a hand ball but couldn't tell conclusively through the mass of players.
The referee talks to the VAR and says "can you check for a handball offence before the ball went out?" This is queued up and played on the big screen from various angles, and the referee can then either decide there was a hand ball and award the penalty, or that there was no offence and continue with the goal kick or corner etc.
If a goal was scored, they could ask VAR if there is any reason why they can't award the goal.
Supporters and teams couldn't accept that humans make mistakes, so they demanded perfect officiating where mistakes are never made.
VAR gives them that to a degree, there will always be an element of human error. But people have now realised that they don't want perfect refereeing, as there are now things going against them which wouldn't have previously, and it is obviously the fault of VAR, not the fault of the people who demanded it for years and years and years.
I think a better way would have been closer to the rugby approach, where the referee asks the VAR to review a specific incident, which is then played back on the big screen (where available).
For example, if the ball pings around the penalty area before going out with play, the referee and AR think something might have happened, i.e. a hand ball but couldn't tell conclusively through the mass of players.
The referee talks to the VAR and says "can you check for a handball offence before the ball went out?" This is queued up and played on the big screen from various angles, and the referee can then either decide there was a hand ball and award the penalty, or that there was no offence and continue with the goal kick or corner etc.
If a goal was scored, they could ask VAR if there is any reason why they can't award the goal.
one
RefChat Addict
Kind of like brexit.
zarathustra
RefChat Addict
Pretty much.
That's it then. Those of you who voted, you've got exactly what you voted for, those of us who didn't vote, we've been stiffed. There's no point discussing how badly it's been implemented, or the controversy caused by a simultaneous major rule change. We all have to accept it, mustn't quibble or debate how to stop refereeing being centre of attention like never before (which is going some!)
The Referee
Well-Known Member
Also worth noting that although most people were calling for video technology, I don't remember anyone calling for the current system we have now.
HazJoseph
New Member
I don't remember anyone (out of those whose words actually get publicised and listened to) calling for any particular or defined system tbh.
The Referee
Well-Known Member
I remember many calls for a system similar to rugby and also an appeal-based system - for some reason (no idea why) I remember Tony Pulis calling for a challenge based system. Again, no idea why Tony Pulis' comments, of all people, stuck in my head.
HazJoseph
New Member
Remember hearing Pulis doing co-comm on some local radio station when he was between jobs; the keeper scored from a goal kick because the wind took it and he was in absolute rapture, kept burbling on about how he'd never seen 'something so pure' etc
steakbridie
New Member
Apart from using a big screen, how exactly is that different to the VAR checking incidents at the moment? The VAR hears the ref/AR conversation and begins checking before the question is asked. The onfield decision is no penalty, the VAR checks for a clear and obvious error and advises the referee.
No need to ask the VAR if there is any reason why they can't award the goal, because that is done with the automatic checks.
As for appeal/challenge based systems, they're time wasters as they can be used tactically or they'll take longer as someone (captain/manager?) has to decide whether to challenge. In that time the VAR will already be looking at the incident.
Plus there will be complaints when the referee misses something but teams have run out of challenges or didn't spot an infringement yet the VAR sees it - but has to sit there twiddling their thumbs.
Big difference to rugby is there's more restarts of play in football so you can have more delays whilst play is prevented from being restarted by a VAR check.
For info, here's World Rugby's TMO protocol https://laws.worldrugby.org/downloads/TMO_Trial_From_January_2019_EN.pdf
Get rid of slow motion and I'm much happier
spuddy1878
RefChat Addict
In all Premier League games how many decisions do liners get wrong ?
Id say probably 1%, very rarely you see a liner get one really wrong, id just get shut for offisdes completely as this current keep your flag down when its tight is farcical.
If we didn't have this new offside law VAR would not be getting the stick it is.
Id say probably 1%, very rarely you see a liner get one really wrong, id just get shut for offisdes completely as this current keep your flag down when its tight is farcical.
If we didn't have this new offside law VAR would not be getting the stick it is.
That's not how it works. The AR still has to make a decision, but if it's tight, they delay that decision until the key moment has been allowed to play out.
The Referee
Well-Known Member
The difference is in rugby the referee asks the video ref before signalling for a decision; he doesn't signal for a try (goal), prompting huge celebrations from the crowd, only for the video ref to say "actually, nah"
The Referee
Well-Known Member
But I doubt a rugby-style system will work in a free-flowing game like football.