VAR (Video Assistant Referee)

[LexingtonSpurs]

Upon further review....Its still a no from me.

 

[Sandros Shiny Head]

All the ref had to do for the first one was take the hint from the VAR and look at the screen and make a decision based on his own decision plus the help. Instead he gave up control of the situation by taking the other guys word for it and now its just someone else's individual opinion, so still no consensus decision being made and basically some other random could VAR the VAR and there'd still be no answer

 

[VegasII]

It's going the same way as the Barcode Battler...though I think that was quite big in Japan...so it's losing that one as well.

 

[cwy21]

I read something the other day saying it was all done somewhere else away from the ground. That needs changing too if that's true, you can't have that if you're going to use it in every game, which, if that's where this is going, will have to be the case, surely?

Why not? It's just a giant room where the video ref is sitting at a workstation and watching the game. A bunch of sports leagues have a centralized location where every game is watched for potential video reviews.

 

[cwy21]

Instead he gave up control of the situation by taking the other guys word for it

He's supposed to do that though. People want VAR to be faster, so the ref is supposed to take the decision VAR gives him except in very rare situations. VAR said it was a foul. The ref shouldn't need to go over and waste another two minutes. The problem here is I don't think it was an obvious enough foul to chalk off the goal.

 

[Armstrong_11]

Like it or not... VAR is here to stay. It's cheaper, and much easier to implement then goal line technology that uses multiple cameras. And hiring one person to sit in a can is cheaper then 2 behind the goal that we see in Europe.

What I ain't happy about was the referee totally not bothering to see the footage with his own eyes and totally listening to the video ref. I can see him listening... But it's still your call and your judgement. He rest of your team can advise... But walk that few steps atleast have a 2nd look. If the VAR to intervene means u miss something, so go check it out.

I think at HT, someone must have told the ref to grow a pair and start taking charge.

 

[spursfan77]

I'm still for it.

Look today's shit show has nothing to do with the system, blame the incompetency of the officials who are mis-using it.

But it undermines the ref on the pitch to some degree. You could see the guy tonight and his confidence was draining away by the minute.

 

[Pellshek]

There were always 5 arguments against VAR:

1. It'd hold up the game too much.
2. Many decisions are subjective and/or borderline, so video doesn't much help.
3. It wouldn't end controversy, but simply transfer it from pitch to AV room.
4. It'd damage the spontaneity, personality and human element of the game.
5. It's only possible in top level games with multiple cameras, meaning there's a two-tier system in a game that used to be the same from your local park all the way to Wembley stadium.

I don't see how VAR can ever overcome any of these, no matter how much you streamline the system.

I've always been a strong no, and that remains the case.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Why not? It's just a giant room where the video ref is sitting at a workstation and watching the game. A bunch of sports leagues have a centralized location where every game is watched for potential video reviews.

One or two games yeah, but if they have it for every game kicking off at the same time then surely having it at the ground concerned would be easier. Not that I give a fuck either way mind, the whole thing will kill football regardless unless they get it right.

 

[Sandros Shiny Head]

He's supposed to do that though. People want VAR to be faster, so the ref is supposed to take the decision VAR gives him except in very rare situations. VAR said it was a foul. The ref shouldn't need to go over and waste another two minutes. The problem here is I don't think it was an obvious enough foul to chalk off the goal.

He's only supposed to take their word for it on some yes or no decisions like offside. You're either offside or you're not. Decisions on fouls should always be the refs final choice with the help of VAR or he might as well not be reffing the game at all

 

[tototoner]

After tonight's game


Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino:"It was a game we can talk about different things. It was so complicated because of the new system; it was difficult to keep focus on the game.

"I think we have the best referees in Europe or the world but I don't know if this system will help them or cause more confusion. It is a game of emotion. If we are going to kill this emotion I think we are going to change the game.

"It's difficult for the referee - I feel so sorry for the referee and more I feel sorry for the fans because it's so difficult to understand the situation."

 

[Nerine]

Changed my vote to no.
What a shambles lol

 

[noggen]

And in the end the refs will not give a flying f*** to ref the game properly because they now just can rely on the VAR.

And for the fans? Our instant joy over scoring will disappear. The soul of football. VAR will ruin the moments we all enjoy.

 

[nailsy]

If we get rid of VAR managers and pundits need to accept the wrong decisions that the refs make rather than highlighting every mistake and blaming them for defeats.

 

[jonnyrotten]

You just can't review every goal.

They fucking will though.

 

[MattyP]

And in the end the refs will not give a flying f*** to ref the game properly because they now just can rely on the VAR.

And for the fans? Our instant joy over scoring will disappear. The soul of football. VAR will ruin the moments we all enjoy.

Agreed.

The argument being levelled repeatedly is that VAR is worth it because it gets to the right decision.

But at what cost? The buzz I get when we score a goal, hell even the downer I get when we concede, is what makes me willingly shell out thousands of pounds a year, there’s nothing in the world like it.

Take that away from the fans at the stadium or the fans watching on tv, you lose the emotion. Football becomes sterile. Goal line technology has, correctly in my opinion, taken the Lampard v Germany scenario out of the equation, with an immediate decision.

Really can’t stand it. I’m not even sure whether speeding up the process or even playing it live on a big screen changes anything, if you have to wait 30 seconds before knowing whether you can celebrate a goal the buzz dies.

I don’t think I can ever be persuaded about the benefits of this shit show. And I’d still say the same if we went out to some dubious decision tonight.

 

[LexingtonSpurs]

If we get rid of VAR managers and pundits need to accept the wrong decisions that the refs make rather than highlighting every mistake and blaming them for defeats.

Thats just part of the game - bit of moaning one way or the other. Helps blow off steam.

 

[kr1978]

The main problem for me is it puts a pause on that moment when the ball hits the net and one of the best feelings in football is the pure adrenaline rush when you get a last minute winner or even equaliser-that will be diluted if you have a pause while the ref checks he is happy with the goal and is going to take away one of the greatest things about football for me

 

[mpickard2087]

It's shit. I have said repeatedly it wont work in football. It kills a free-flowing game, Rugby and Cricket there are more natural stoppages for it and the sports are better set up to allow for the breaks in play.

If they are going to persist with it though, the first thing they need to do is to mic up all the officials, like Rugby, and so people have some sense of what is going on, what they're looking at, and how those decisions are being made. If they're worried about what players will be caught saying then tough, warn them about it and do the job of actually applying the laws for foul and abusive language.

 

[the watson]

The stadium experience was truly woeful. No idea what was going on, having to check phones to understand why the decisions were overturned.

I've never watched a referee so closely in a match before. A decent referee experience is one where you barely notice they are there. The VAR experience is spending what seems like an age watching the ref with his hand on his ear, waiting for a decision that nobody in the ground noticed or appealed for.

People will say it's been executed poorly, but the very principle of the idea of sitting staring at the ref for ages, and cheering his reaction instead of the moment itself is wank - I don't fancy paying to watch a game live with a VAR again, the only time I've wanted to leave a game early was at HT. The whole game felt farcical.