Is VAR going too far?

VAR’s introduction in 2016 has changed the game like it said it would by making it safer for the players and removing human error from potentially game changing events, but it has also ruined some of the fundamentals of football. The enjoyment that comes with your team scoring has been sullied, the everchanging rules, and the endless moaning and groaning that comes with the three-letter word. So, what is stopping all football lovers from enjoying VAR’s capabilities.  

Ever since VAR entered the world of football the game has seemed to become more fragmented. Watching Match of The Day, the pundits always seem to have something new to add to the VAR debate every week. Premier League officials state the average waiting time for a team to see if their goal has counted or not averaged at 84 seconds compared to before when all the attacker had to do was check the linesman to see if their offside flag was up. 

 

Are fans and players being impatient or is VAR taking too long?

 

There is no doubt that one and a half minutes is a long time to be caught in two minds about if the goal counted or not, but sacrifices have to be made if football is going to become fair. 

 

It is also bringing slight deviance and gamesmanship into football. Players knowing, they can win freekicks and penalties after receiving the smallest amount of contact from the defender, causing them to topple over absurdly. These dives can win teams games, but how is this fair? 

 

VAR also leaves no margin for error as many of us football fans have seen, calling offside for the smallest of margins but how fair is it that?  Can Inches offside really affect a player’s ability to score. An outstretched arm or a players trailing leg leading to an offside decision is like hand balling in your penalty area and expecting not to concede and penalty, it just doesn't make sense. 

 

VAR is there to make the game fair but isn’t it ironic how it isn’t at the same time, no benefit of the doubt is given to the attacker because an arm in an offside position is giving the attack a clear advantage on the defender. 

Sadio Mane offside vs Everton. A prime example of how tight VAR can be...

 

Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, has stated he is trying the change the laws so offside will only be given fs a goalscoring part of a player’s body is in front of the last defender. Why wasn’t this the rule in the first place? Here we see the viewpoint of an ex-pro footballer and coach, but it just seems like common sense at the same time. 

 

So, here is why ex-professional players should run VAR. There are certain things in football you can’t teach. Ex-professionals will have better judgement on a tackle to see if it was malicious or just clumsy, sometimes a rule book can’t determine these instances in football. There is the argument though that Ex-pros could have biases. This is the only problem in my opinion. Background checks and honesty from the pro’s will have to be shown when choosing the match they will be officiating to keep the game equal and unbiased. Of course, you aren’t going to give Rio Ferdinand a big Manchester United match to officiate! 

 

Even a mixture of referees and ex-pros just so they can get their viewpoint on the situation, it almost feels like football refereeing is becoming robotic, no leeway, room for error or benefit of the doubt for the players on the pitch. But if this happened, I could see football becoming what it intended to be when VAR was introduced.  Also, players wouldn’t get away with petty diving that ex-pro’s couldn’t get away with in their day.

 

VAR brings its fair share of positives but its inconsistency and lacklustre can ruin the flow of the game, and also fans ability to enjoy.