The use of video technology in football may have made referee calls more accurate overall, but critics argue it is also changing the game for the worse.
Anger over the use of 'Video Assistant Referees' (VAR) has steadily grown since it was introduced in English football in 2019, with a number of high-profile incidents this season, The Times said in an editorial last year. mentioned in. . There were two more actions during last weekend's action, and the discussion appears to have reached its limits.
Following what the Metro newspaper called a “controversial weekend over video assistant referees in football”, Labor leader Keir Starmer gave his full support to calls for reform to the system.
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“We can't suddenly abolish VAR”
Announced by Nottingham Forest. Furious statement about X After Sunday's Premier League defeat to Everton, VAR claimed three apparent penalties were denied and blamed it on fans of relegation rivals Luton.
Just hours later, Coventry City were denied a place in the FA Cup final despite a thrilling comeback from 3-0 down against Manchester United at Wembley. In the Championship, the winner was ruled out for offside in the last minute of extra time. They then lost on penalties to their Premier League opponents.
Speaking at the FA's headquarters near Burton upon Trent, Starmer said of the FA Cup semi-final: “It was a really well-taken goal, but it was ruled out because there was some slight difference between the attacker and the defender. “Is that so?” he said. Don't tell me that having toenails will give you an advantage in soccer. ”
John Cross, the Mirror's chief football writer, said: “We're sorry to be the killjoys,'' but added: “Victor Tope was right in his offside decision to disallow what would have been an extra-time winner.'' “It was,” he said.
“You can't suddenly abolish VAR just because it's a great fairy tale,” Cross said.
VAR has issued hundreds of correct calls since its introduction, but this has been “overshadowed by a number of controversial calls, particularly those later accepted as wrong by referees,” the Guardian wrote in an editorial last year. mentioned in.
Cricket, rugby and tennis use technology for real-time decision-making, and “interruptions are part and parcel of these sports,” it said. “In football, VAR reduces spontaneity and brings interruptions. VAR slows down and prolongs the most beautiful matches.”
“The important thing is to keep games as art.”
Many believe that the only way out of the current mess is to abolish VAR completely.
John Nicholson told Football365: “Certainly it could be better.'' “But that just reverts to the standard of refereeing before VAR. People are not perfect, so there is a level that cannot be surpassed. Let's accept that.”
It is worth recalling that the Times, in its latest editorial on the matter, said that VAR was introduced to “check only the most serious refereeing oversights, rather than re-examining every call”. be. “If it is used beyond this range, there is a risk that a sense of unfairness will become entrenched among fans.”
However, despite similar protests from clubs, fans and experts, data shows that VAR has improved the accuracy of decisions by 14%.
The solution, therefore, is “not to abolish VAR,” but “to use it sparingly and to increase transparency by broadcasting citations,” the Times said. The suspension of how VAR is employed causes chaos in the stands and stagnation on the pitch, while its opaqueness fuels unfounded conspiracies and leaves spectators wanting to regain the lost sense of drama and fair play. must be drawn into. ”
Peter Walton, who was a Premier League referee from 2003 to 2012, told The Times: “It's not about making the game a science, it's about keeping it as an art and keeping it as a discussion.”
