The three new areas FIFA are now considering giving VAR more power over

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·28 November 2023

The three new areas FIFA are now considering giving VAR more power over

VAR is consistently being used improperly, with errors ranging from offside decisions to missed fouls, causing widespread agreement that it needs improvement.
Despite previous support, Wolves manager Gary O'Neil has lost confidence in VAR after the controversial decisions made in the game against Fulham.
FIFA's VAR working group is considering extending its powers to judge more on-field decisions, leading to concerns of longer delays.

Football is a game of opinions and there is very little people universally agree on. After all, there are still some who believe Cristiano Ronaldo is a better footballer than Lionel Messi. And yet, when it comes to VAR, everyone can agree that it isn't being used properly right now.

In the Premier League, the use of the Video Assistant Referee was introduced at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season. Since then we've had a whole litany of errors from drawing offside lines from the wrong spot, to simpling missing blatant fouls. Indeed, the PGMOL have been forced to apologise time and time again.

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VAR at fault again in Fulham 3-2 Wolves

In Wolves' 3-2 defeat away at Fulham on 27th November, VAR was called into question yet again after a number of controversial decisions were made in the league fixture. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, manager Gary O'Neil said he'd finally lost confidence in the technology, despite previously being a believer in it:

"I've always been for VAR but I think it's causing a big problem at the moment. Maybe tonight [Monday] has finally turned me against VAR. I thought it would probably help but it doesn't seem to be."

FIFA to consider new VAR rules

However, according to a new article in The Times, football’s lawmakers are set to consider whether or not VAR’s powers should be extended to meddle even more in the game. Yes, a VAR working group established by FIFA has been looking at whether the technology should be used to make judgment calls relating to free kicks, corners and second yellow cards.

The article adds that this has already prompted 'fears it could lead to even longer delays'. A meeting will be held in London on Tuesday 28th November with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to discuss the possible changes, although nothing will be decided ahead of IFAB's annual meeting in March.

The working group established by FIFA are expected to ask lawmakers whether or not more video replays should be used in an attempt to increase further the accuracy of decision-making in more areas of the game, other than just red cards, penalties and goals, as we currently have. At the moment, on-field officials are trusted to call free kicks and corners, while VAR is also not able to intervene on second yellow cards. The new laws would alter that.

Wolves certainly could have used these changes in their recent defeat. For example, Fulham defender Tim Ream gave away a penalty and while VAR was able to confirm the award of the spot-kick, it was left up to referee Michael Salisbury to decide whether or not to send him off for a second bookable offence. The centre-back avoided a red card but manager O'Neil later revealed that after speaking with the officials, they admitted that Ream should have been dismissed.

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton was quoted in The Times article as being "vehemently against" widening the scope of VAR powers. He explained his thoughts on the matter, saying:

“I always go back to the basis of VAR, and in 2018 we wanted it to be minimal interference for maximum benefit — that was David Elleray’s [the IFAB technical director] phrase. We looked at the TMO [television match official] in rugby and thought it was opening the door too wide. “We wanted to keep it down to clear and obvious errors the match officials didn’t see or had mistaken. Now some people are looking at it to always come to the correct decision, but it was never meant for that, it was meant for things like the ‘Hand of God’ [goal scored by Maradona against England]. I wouldn’t want to see it opened up any more as the game is very, very subjective.”