VAR on its way to the premiership

[toonfalifekevbrown]

Starts next season and it's about time ,supposed to be the best league in the world and full of money .

[ghostrider]

It'll be good to see it brought in but I don't hold out much hope of it being used too much to even things up with the lopsided set up that's all too regular between the accepted elites against the rest of the league, it seems.

Of course, we'll all get a few good will sniffs of so called justice just to keep us all asleep to the joke that football/sport officialdom is.

[TheOtherTerryMac]

It'll be good to see it brought in but I don't hold out much hope of it being used too much to even things up with the lopsided set up that's all too regular between the accepted elites against the rest of the league, it seems.

Of course, we'll all get a few good will sniffs of so called justice just to keep us all asleep to the joke that football/sport officialdom is.

100% agree let’s hope we get an UNFAIR crack of the whip as usual.

[ghostrider]

100% agree let’s hope we get an UNFAIR crack of the whip as usual.

If it does come in, it'll be interesting to see how they implement it.
This is what the script seems to be with it.

What are the rules of VAR being used?

VAR only intervenes in the course of a match when the officials have made a 'clear and obvious error' in one of four key areas.

This alone is open to massive abuse and bias.

1. Goals

A close offside decision is the most common reason for VAR being consulted after a goal has been scored, but shirt-pulling and other infringements can cause goals to be chalked off.
I'm sure the smaller teams will have their joy jumping deflated with a good amount of these things to scupper them.

NB. The concept of 'clear and obvious' errors does not apply to offsides. A player is either onside or offside - you cannot be a little bit pregnant. So even if a player is offside by a matter of inches, the goal will be ruled out.
Or will it. It depends on the steam in the googles of the wizards behind the curtain.

2. Penalties

The most subjective and arguably problematic area. Penalties can be awarded or rescinded using VAR if there has been a 'clear and obvious error' in the original decision.

This will be very interesting to watch to see how they pull some of these decisions off, assuming they're going to keep up the general minnow bashing.


3. Straight red cards

Violent conduct and dangerous tackles can be penalised using VAR. Second-yellow cards cannot.


4.Mistaken identity

If the referee sends off the wrong player, such as the famous incident with Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Arsenal's 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea in 2014, that injustice can be repaired.

The system is restricted to these areas in order to minimise disruption to the flow of the game.


Is there a time limit on decisions using VAR?

Not as such, but VAR cannot be used for an incident once play has restarted after being stopped. So if a VAR fails to spot and flag up something prior to a free-kick, goal-kick, throw-in, corner-kick etc, it is too late. Goals can also only be disallowed using VAR if something is amiss in the attacking move which leads to it being scored, not during the longer build-up period.

This one is massively open to abuse and bias imo.


However....

New Fifa regulations do give referees the power, backed by VAR, could in theory lead to players being retrospectively punished at half-time for incidents that were missed. Likely to prove controversial.

Controversial indeed when they also use the the other rule that, if play has restarted, it's tough.....until it isn't, if you get me.

[TheOtherTerryMac]

It works no problem in Rugby but then again you never question a referee or swear at him or you end up in the sin bin.

[ghostrider]

When VAR comes in I've invented a gadget to aid in the ref reviewing an incident without having to run over to a screen on the sideline.

They carry foam spray, cards, a pen and a whistle. Some kit when you think about it.
Soldiers do long marches carrying Bergens, some weighing 60lb or more, plus a helmet carrying visual gadgets and such.

Where am I going with this?

Ok, the ref wears a helmet with a 20 inch flat screen on top (can be made to be bigger for the ref's with bad eyesight) , which will be a waterproof TV and would be attached to it. This will be on an automatic hinge that will be operated with a remote control worn as a a snazzy ring, which will be voice activated with a special code word. Something like, " drop the TV screen so I can see that last incident and make things a lot quicker in making a correct decision to aid in the course of this 90 minute, plus added time, game"....or maybe a shorter code word.

This will immediately drop down the screen in front of his/her face from it being a sort of university mortar board hat looking thing, only much larger, in front of the ref who will end up looking like some kind of robot when viewed by fans and players looking at the back of the screen.

I'd appreciate some feedback on this before I hand in the prototype to FIFA.

[toptoon]

It works no problem in Rugby but then again you never question a referee or swear at him or you end up in the sin bin.

I think they should introduce a system as in rugby. The VAR decision should be made by a referee different to one that is on the pitch and they should get rid of this stupid thing where the ref runs off the pitch to look at a replay. This way, it takes the pressure off the field ref and stops this stupid crowding around. In fact there would be no need for any player to address the ref during a VAR decision as it’s out of his hands.

I wonder if we will ever see the day when there is no ref or assistants on the pitch?