The introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to English club football in January this year was met with optimism, however, its use in the recent rounds of the FA Cup in particular has led to strong criticism of the system. Despite the success of this sort of technology in sports such as Rugby, Tennis and Cricket, the performance of the VAR system in English football has been disappointing thus far.
How does VAR work?
VAR involves the presence of a fifth referee who remains in communication with the on-field referees throughout the game. The VARs have access to every camera angle, in addition to the four cameras for the goal decision system. Their purpose is to further increase the number of decisions called correctly, a figure currently at 96%.
The VAR is there for situations where a “clear and obvious error” is spotted; the VAR has the remit to question decisions in the following four areas: goals, penalty decisions, red cards and mistaken identity.
What’s going wrong?
With the VAR having been used in over 5,000 games across the world, there was an expectation that its implementation in English football would be seamless. However, this has not been the case. From producing controversial decisions to being accused of taking emotion out of the beautiful game, the criticism of VAR has been heavy.
The Juan Mata controversy in Manchester United’s FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town perhaps best epitomises the criticism the VAR has received. Firstly, this example calls into question the phrase “clear and obvious error”. Is a clear and obvious error any error which the VAR spots or is it fair to give the attacker the benefit of the doubt when one-eighth of the player’s knee places him in an offside position? Secondly, the VAR has been said to cause more confusion than clarity; in the case of the Juan Mata offside decision, the Hawk-Eye system sent pictures to the broadcaster which demonstrated wavy lines being used to determine if the player was indeed in an offside position. Furthermore, with decisions not being displayed on screens inside the stadiums, fans are left in the lurch, particularly when decisions on goals take 30-40 seconds. This itself has led to criticism from managers, with Alan Pardew suggesting that the time taken for the VAR decisions caused two hamstring injuries picked up by his players as a result of them cooling down in that time period.
The Future for VAR?
Despite the criticisms of VAR, it cannot be denied that given time, the VAR will operate more efficiently and in doing so, reduce the number of incorrect decisions in games. Whilst it seems unlikely that the system will be used in the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, it will undoubtedly be a more frequent feature in the coming months, not least due to its use in the 2018 World Cup.
The issues which have been seen thus far are all rectifiable; for example, it is very easy to keep fans involved in the process by utilising the on-board screens. What the VAR system has importantly demonstrated is that despite the rapid advancement of technologies, it must be remembered that new technologies still require patience, and despite our best intentions, technology takes time to bed in, whether at work or from the comfort of your sofa at home.
We’re looking forward to supporting the England Team at the upcoming World Cup in the Summer. Whoever you’re supporting, we look forward to an entertaining tournament with professionalism and respect on display throughout.