- Exploring how controversial derby penalty reignited heated debate over VAR.
- Why current refereeing processes fail and how technology can support officials.
- Proposing a simplified VAR system that prioritises ref’s on-field authority.
When I proposed to write about my opinion of VAR I didn’t expect it to become topical. Unfortunately the softest of soft penalties (and yes Ipswich Town fans I am salty about it!) has put this discussion into the limelight.
A bad process
Across the board you will see fans moaning about the quality of refereeing in the Championship and lower leagues.
In some respects this is typical griping- it’s very rare that you hear people say “Well done to the referee, every call you made was spot on and it became part of the grand narrative of this delightful game!”
But for me the worst part of THAT penalty decision was how the referee didn’t spot it but it was then flagged up by the assistant referee. And given this was the only information to go by the penalty decision was awarded.
The right use of VAR
A lot of the complaints fans have about VAR are valid. It slows the game down, it undermines the immediacy of goal celebrations and it effectively undermines the authority of the referee, making an already difficult job even harder.
What I would suggest is that the issue is not with the technology itself but in how it is applied.
Make referees authority again
In my opinion VAR should be a tool for the referee to use if and when they want to. Nothing more, nothing less.
The fourth party monitoring can still be there but they should not override the decision that the referee makes. They can flag something up that the referee can check if they want to but that should be it.
Balance is possible
The sad fact is that perfection is not an option. VAR in and of itself won’t remove human error and interpretation as the people viewing the game still need to look at the information in front of them.
By contrast if you want a game based purely on humans passing their own judgement then you have to accept that there will be a higher rate of mistakes.
I know not everyone will agree with me but I think VAR has the potential to be a useful tool to help a referee do their job.
If we can balance out the pacing and simplify its usage then hopefully we can get a bit closer to what fans originally wanted it to do.
