Football is about right and wrong decisions and trying too much to get decisions right will take away the passion from the game.
The role of VAR is to correct precise and clear errors made by referees in any of four key and “game-changing” situations which are goals, penalties, red cards and cases of mistaken identity. The system involves going over video footage of every play to check for problems relating to the 4 game- changing situations.
Disputable offsides and unseen fouls prior to a goal has been the most challenging to the system and when such errors are found, The VAR can only advise while the referee’s decision remains final.
He might choose to act on the VAR message immediately or he reviews footage by himself on a pitch-side screen and afterwards, he instantaneously revisits the original decision or move on with the game.
Is VAR worth the time
Football decisions are subjective which gives rise to the problem of what is a “clear and obvious” error?Decision-making becomes inconsistent.
For instance,football pundits on TV with the benefit of many replays occasionally still have different views about these game changing situations, it’s not going to be different with Video assistant referees watching in a booth, will it stop the problems that led to it’s invention? Fans are pessimistic because there seems no clear way of ending controversial calls in football.
Bundesliga fans in particular didn’t enjoy the use of VAR from the first matchday to the last. Fans in the stadium raised signs protesting against the system while the newspapers echoed incorrect VAR decisions on their headlines but after months of criticism, the DFB and DFL announced series of reforms to improve VAR decisions and make the whole process more transparent.
• Has it come to stay?
It has really helped. Decisions go well with players and fans compared to when it was introduced.
The pros outweigh the cons. The system has received lot of criticisms but statistics show it has helped a lot.
According to a study conducted on the trials,, VAR increased the accuracy of refereeing decisions from 93% to 98.8%.
The VAR team is expected to follow all actions, looking for replays worth bringing to the attention of the referee. They watch passively and advise if a play is worthy of review.
I understand Peoples’ fears are centered on the fact that the referee on the pitch will become passive in the game but VAR will help make them better.
They will officiate better because they don’t have that doubt in their minds that they have made an error.
VAR gives them the privilege to instantly right their wrongs with the help of another colleague reviewing the match, It helps the official to move on with the game without thinking about a controversial call.
it’s also worthy of mention that the assistant referees will benefit too.They won’t be to hasty to raise flags because if they do, they might have stopped a goal scoring chance wrongly or influence the game unfairly especially when it comes to close offside or being the last man during a foul and at that point, everyone is helpless, the fans inclusive.
VAR has already made its mark, Although it has received possible reviews, it continues to cause intense debate in other quarters.
The premier league recently voted for the use of the system in the coming season which implies that it has come to stay for real.
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