VAR Comes Under Attack In Premiership

By Ekene Dike

The VAR was brought into football to make the refereeing job easier and less strenuous.

Indeed, eradication of erroneous decisions by the referees was a major concern, as it restricted the flow of the game and plans by teams that were often at the receiving end of wrong decisions.

A major incident at the 2010 Fifa World Cup denied England an equalizer against Germany in the round of 16. Frank Lampard’s strike had clearly crossed the line, but Manuel Neuer came to save the ball from going into the net. That decision by the referee not to give the goal to England was enough to weigh down the spirit of the English players. Germany went on to win the game 4-1 amidst the controversy surrounding the game.

Every human being is prone to make mistakes. According to referees, the human eyes cannot cover everything that is going on during the intensive moments of a football match.

A solution was brought in the form of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). It’s role was to help the referees check for potential errors after watching videos on the screen. This was an initiative by FIFA to completely avoid any scandal after the match.

However, in the English Premier League the VAR seems to have overstayed its welcome. Players, coaches and soccer pundits have criticized the VAR and there is increasing agitation for it to be scrapped.

Wolves manager, Nuno Espirito Santo speaking after the 1-0 loss to Liverpool said “Decisions are being taken by a referee that is miles and miles away on a TV screen. He doesn’t even feel the game!!!”

John Barnes believes that the ridiculous laws surrounding the VAR are the main issues surrounding it and not the machine itself.

Gary Lineker said once again, the technology can’t prove tight decisions. It’s only really this mythological offside technology that is spoiling it. That and the absurd new handball law that is exacerbated by VAR’s existence.

The likes of Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have also expressed their unwillingness to accept the decisions of the VAR. On the contrary, the Scottish Premier League is craving for the introduction of the machine to reduce the workload for referees. So, the coin has different sides.

A machine is meant to be perfect in its execution, but the VAR seems not to be up to the task. Its attempt to cover the hanky-panky surrounding football might just be a wrong one. The advantages are definitely more than the disadvantages, but the criticism is increasing and it should be addressed in order for the aggrieved to be reprieved.

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