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VAR (Video Assistant Referee)

Good for the game?.

  • Yes

    Votes: 42 30.7%
  • No

    Votes: 95 69.3%

  • Total voters
    137

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
I agree, but the ref is still part of the VAR system. It’s funny because the old story of “wrong desisions evening themselves out” would have actually lead to a fair result. A prime example of the “well it’s better to get more desisions correct” being void.

Without VAR the refs calls would have gave the game the fair and correct result.


There's no point us getting in a pissing contest every time there's a less than perfect VAR game. For the odd debatable one that VAR is not getting varying degrees of right, (even both the handballs, though I don't agree with them, were balls hitting hands, and on some level, no matter how tenuous, are technically debatable) it is correcting far more wrongs.

I don't agree with some of the applications, but the bottom line is, most of what it's still not getting 100% right is just an extension of existing problems - such as, what actually constitutes a fair call for hand ball - that aren't new problems being created by VAR, just existing issues that need to be clarified better, and the ultimate decisions are still being left to a referee.

Even tonight, it got most important stuff right, Ronaldo's was a pen, and look at the Spain equaliser, the Lino gave that as offside, VAR correctly awarded the goal, imagine if that had cost Spain a place in the knock-outs?
 

cwy21

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2009
9,448
7,930
The Economist crunched the data with VAR. It has not resulted in more penalty kicks in the various leagues that have used it.

My guess is that so many of the players at the World Cup have now played in a grand total of two games with VAR. Meanwhile, so many players in Germany, Portugal, etc have now had a full seasons worth of games with VAR. They've adjusted and don't dive into tackles in the penalty area like were seeing in Russia.

GZwGf8n.jpg
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
I don't understand why people think VAR is going to automatically get every decision correct, its never going to be perfect but it was never advertised to get every decision 100% right. Seems like every contentios decision peolle just want to blame VAR and label it a failure but do you not understand if VAR wasn't around there would have been a fuck load of more incorrect decisions and complaints about bringing in new tech to assist the referee.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
I do agree to an extent but the inclusion of this has meant extra pressure on the referee with the VAR signals every 2 seconds from players and managers alike, almost pressured into silly decision like we saw tonight. Also, how it takes the people upstairs 2 mins to work out whether he should review is beyond me.

Weak refs yes, if refs aren't in control of the match then players will just take the piss but that's just an extension of what was happening before anyway. If refs don't have the balls to officiate a professional match then they shouldn't be refereeing at that level regardless if they have VAR or not.
 

WalkerboyUK

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2009
21,658
23,476
The main problem with VAR at the moment is that it's still about an official's opinion, and opinions vary.
Two prime examples in the last 48 hours, with referees not giving penalties for handball, being told to review and then one changing mind. Both were clear "ball to hand" incidents with ref having clear line of sight.
A separate team, who may have 10 different video angles, but aren't on the pitch "in the moment", then has a differing opinion and suggests the referee may want to change his mind.

One team (Iran) gets a penalty, the other (Nigeria) gets nothing, yet in most people's opinions, neither were valid offences to warrant a penalty.

VAR is removing the question of intent... Intent to handle the ball, intent to commit a foul.

What I will say is that VAR has definitely had some positives, such as offside decisions and the penalty that Portugal got the other night for the foul on Ronaldo.

As much as we've pretty much all said we're relieved it's not being adopted in the PL, I guarantee every week we will be discussing how VAR would have resulted in us having this decision or that decision.
 

PLTuck

Eternal Optimist
Aug 22, 2006
15,855
32,965
I was dead against VAR from the moment it was announced, but I think it was handled really well in the Argentina - Nigeria match last night, and even added to the entertainment value.
 

Nerine

Juicy corned beef
Jan 27, 2011
4,756
17,217
Yes. The media have started pedalling that. ^^^^

Lineker and co. were saying so last night.
 

mightyspur

Now with lovely smooth balls
Aug 21, 2014
9,760
27,014
The main problem with VAR at the moment is that it's still about an official's opinion, and opinions vary.
Two prime examples in the last 48 hours, with referees not giving penalties for handball, being told to review and then one changing mind. Both were clear "ball to hand" incidents with ref having clear line of sight.
A separate team, who may have 10 different video angles, but aren't on the pitch "in the moment", then has a differing opinion and suggests the referee may want to change his mind.

One team (Iran) gets a penalty, the other (Nigeria) gets nothing, yet in most people's opinions, neither were valid offences to warrant a penalty.

VAR is removing the question of intent... Intent to handle the ball, intent to commit a foul.

What I will say is that VAR has definitely had some positives, such as offside decisions and the penalty that Portugal got the other night for the foul on Ronaldo.

As much as we've pretty much all said we're relieved it's not being adopted in the PL, I guarantee every week we will be discussing how VAR would have resulted in us having this decision or that decision.

I don't understand how that is a problem with VAR? Watching the original incident in real time is also about the officials opinion and opinions vary. Giving the official the opportunity to change that opinion by seeing the incident again "should" mean a better decision is made. Of course, that isn't always true as demonstrated a few times, but by and large I see nothing but positives from its introduction.
 

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,842
56,935
I don't understand how that is a problem with VAR? Watching the original incident in real time is also about the officials opinion and opinions vary. Giving the official the opportunity to change that opinion by seeing the incident again "should" mean a better decision is made. Of course, that isn't always true as demonstrated a few times, but by and large I see nothing but positives from its introduction.

Of course it's a problem. If VAR was completely automatic and spat out a decision itself there would be no debate. The fact is because the referee's still make the final call it's still down to interpretation.

That, as @WalkerboyUK mentioned, is a problem with VAR which needs to be addressed.
 

mightyspur

Now with lovely smooth balls
Aug 21, 2014
9,760
27,014
Of course it's a problem. If VAR was completely automatic and spat out a decision itself there would be no debate. The fact is because the referee's still make the final call it's still down to interpretation.

That, as @WalkerboyUK mentioned, is a problem with VAR which needs to be addressed.
Of course there would be debate, because the decision isn't black or white. It's not as simple as "did the ball cross the line?". There will always be interpretation. That isn't the "problem with VAR" that's a problem with officiating football full stop.
 

nailsy

SC Supporter
Jul 24, 2005
30,536
46,628
I do agree to an extent but the inclusion of this has meant extra pressure on the referee with the VAR signals every 2 seconds from players and managers alike, almost pressured into silly decision like we saw tonight. Also, how it takes the people upstairs 2 mins to work out whether he should review is beyond me.

Aren't refs meant to book players that ask for VAR reviews? They need to start implementing that if they want to stop players pestering them every few minutes.
 

WiganSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
15,974
32,682
We've already seen improvements from that Rochdale cup game. I was vehemently against it after that game but i'm coming around to the idea after this WC.

Sure, it's hardly perfect but it's largely eliminated diving in the penalty box and a lot of wrong calls are being reversed. I think a lot of grey areas will naturally start to clear up with time as well.

I just don't think it should have been trialled in this type of environment. Why not just try it out in lower leagues like the Conference etc? Then once it's been refined we can roll it out in high profile leagues.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Again, VAR isn't meant to get every decision right, it still relies heavily on human interpretation and opinion, the purpose of VAR is to cut down on contentious key incidents in matches which is what it has done, there's no problem with the system unless you're looking for one.
 

bk75

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2008
349
914
I’ve never laughed so much as when that second goal went in . So pleased for Sonny.
I was against VAR at first but now with all the controversy and mostly correct decisions it turns a dull game into an exciting experience.
 

Colonel_Klinck

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2004
12,637
23,217
That Germany game was the perfect example of why VAR is fantastic. Huge decisions changed because of it and the correct team going home. Hope they bring it in for the Prem in 19/20.
 
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