Analysis: VAR Controversies Cast Shadow Over Football | OneFootball

Unpacking VAR and Goal-Line Technology in Football

If there’s one thing bound to get my blood boiling, it’s VAR and goal line tech in football.

Or should I say the application of it.

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VAR Controversies: More Than Just Technology

Most people are actually missing the point that the tech is there to help the officials but it’s long been the implementation that has been the problem, not the tech itself.

Previously, I’ve worked closely with Keith Hackett, a former FIFA ref and head of PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), who oversee the referees in the Premier League.

I’ve also done a lot of work with Mark Halsey, a hugely well-respected Premier League referee and authoritative voice, since leaving the whistle behind.

Both are often incandescent with rage over VAR, though it’s never about the tech!

You would think that the ‘referees club’ would all stick together, but it seems that they’re all ready to throw each other under the bus at a moment’s notice.

The Mike Riley Era: A Legacy of Pressure

Things haven’t really been right at PGMOL since the Mike Riley years. Before Howard Webb, Riley was the top man, having succeeded Hackett, and it’s fair to say that he ran the ship like an autocracy.

Officials were s**t scared of making even the tiniest of errors, and as any of us knows, when we’re at work, if someone is looking over your shoulder, so to speak, keeping the pressure on when there’s no need, work output is going to suffer.

Why? Because you’re simply not relaxed enough to do your best work.

There is always a human element to consider of course, but where it all went wrong was right from the very beginning.

VAR’s Intent vs. Reality: The ‘Clear and Obvious’ Dilemma

Let’s remember that VAR was specifically introduced – and to be invoked – for when there was a clear and obvious error.

That’s the phrase to focus on; ‘clear and obvious.’

Ask yourself this. In the few seasons since VAR became a part of the game-watching experience, how many ‘clear and obvious’ errors have you noticed that VAR has correctly identified?

The drawing of lines for offside decisions that come down to cm differences is a total waste of time for everyone, and the tech is not used correctly.

If the offside was obvious, however, and the on pitch official didn’t notice it, THAT’S when VAR comes in.

Had the refs got the application right at the very beginning and not resorted to using it in the way that they have, supporters would have no issue with it.

International Comparisons: Lessons from Rugby and Cricket

Think of the TMO in rugby or Hawk-Eye in cricket and tennis – that’s the way to make it work, but football, despite being one of the most popular and lucrative sports in the world, just can’t get it right, can they?

How many more times do football supporters – that pay their hard-earned each and every week – have to put up with sub-par decision making because the protagonists in most games now – the officials – can’t get their act together?

Take the weekend fixture between Everton and Nottingham Forest. To most with a reasonable understanding of the game, there were at least two ‘clear and obvious’ errors made, and Forest had every right to highlight it on social media, even if it’s not the done thing, bringing their frustration into the public domain.

The officials in that game, regardless of the VAR apparently being a Luton fan, needed to get their decisions spot on because of the magnitude of the fixture. There simply couldn’t be any room for error, and yet when the VAR was required, he was invisible.

In the Man United vs Coventry FA Cup semi-final, you had the opposite. One of the smallest offside margins seen, which the officials should know and remember, means that the attacking team are given the benefit of the doubt, and what happens… VAR comes in where there’s no ‘clear and obvious’ error, those daft lines are drawn, and the Sky Blues are denied one of the competition’s best-ever comebacks.

PGMOL officials understanding of the application of the law for VAR even now still isn’t up to standard, so good on Forest for holding them to account.

VAR and Goal-Line Technology: A Global Perspective

On the subject of tech in football, what on earth happened at the Santiago Bernabéu last weekend?

Anyone could see that Lamine Yamal scored a perfectly legitimate goal for Barcelona in El Clásico, but the lack of goal-line tech in Spain meant that the referee simply played on.

He couldn’t tell from his position if the ball had gone in, his linesman either wasn’t looking or couldn’t have a clear enough view from his standpoint and cameras in the ground ‘weren’t at the right angle.’ How convenient.

A Call for Improved Implementation

With so much money around in the game now, there is simply no excuse for not having the technology in place.

Remember that not long ago, Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga said “goal-line technology is not a financial issue, it is about use. In one season, there are only four or five incidents of this type.”

Surely the fact that there are four or five incidents and Tebas continues to spout how his league is the best in the world should mean that he must ensure everything is available to his member clubs to ensure that the Spanish top-flight can legitimately claim it’s best-in-class?

Unlike VAR, it isn’t subjective but definitive, and Barça will rightly feel aggrieved because it isn’t the first time it’s happened to them.