What is the concept of VAR, how is it utilized, and what are the primary challenges associated with it?

“I don’t see the purpose of VAR,” asserted Wolves’ coach Gary O’Neil. After facing crucial decisions in their defeat against Fulham, his team felt unfairly treated. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe criticized the penalty given against his club during stoppage time against Paris Saint-Germain, calling it a “questionable call” that looks different in slow-motion replays compared to the views of officials monitoring the game.

The recent developments arise from a rise in technology implementation in football in recent years, but none have caused as much controversy and skepticism as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Generally speaking, there is a consensus that small and obvious mistakes are being addressed and rectified throughout the season, thanks to referees on the field receiving extra assistance. Nevertheless, there have been notable instances recently where clubs or individuals within them have expressed dissatisfaction with the final decision or the process leading up to it, including a recent incident in the Champions League.

The manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, was upset about several decisions that went against his team during their 4-3 loss to FC Copenhagen. This included the controversial call to issue a red card to Marcus Rashford for a serious foul.

However, some argue that without clear and definitive criteria for what constitutes a foul, determining when VAR should intervene and whether incidents should be disallowed or not is more stringent in the Premier League compared to European competitions.

Many believe that the penalty given against Newcastle for PSG would not have been given in England. Similarly, Jarrell Quansah’s late goal for Liverpool against Toulouse would not have been disallowed for a handball against Alexis Mac Allister. However, these situations did not happen in the Premier League. Referees in Europe, operating under the Uefa banner, have varying interpretations and levels of involvement.

This article covers all the essential information about VAR, including the most recent criticisms directed towards it.

The Newcastle team was upset when a handball penalty was given after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, even though it was not originally called during regular play. This occurred in the last minute of stoppage time during their 1-1 tie against PSG.

At the beginning of the contest, Man United raised concerns regarding Rashford’s red card, which was issued for stepping on an opponent’s foot and shin. Ten Hag insisted that his team had experienced three questionable penalties in four games and described his striker’s ejection as overly severe.

During a domestic football match, Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta expressed frustration over the “unacceptable” mistakes made by both on-field referees and those using the VAR system, resulting in his team’s loss to Newcastle. Wolves’ manager O’Neill also continues to feel dissatisfied with the implementation of this technology.

Earlier this season, he criticized a decision made by the referee to award a penalty against his team, which was confirmed by VAR, stating it was “outrageous” – similar to a previous incident against Newcastle. Referee Michael Salisbury was instructed by VAR to review a potential penalty after Joao Gomes fouled Harry Wilson in the box. Willian then converted his second penalty, securing three points for Fulham. O’Neil mentioned the controversial decisions surrounding a last-minute penalty, Carlos Vinicius’ alleged headbutt on Max Kilman, and why Tim Ream was not given a second yellow card for a foul on Hwang Hee-Chan. He also brought up the contentious first penalty, awarded for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Tom Cairney. It should be noted that VAR was not involved in the decision regarding Ream, as they only intervene for direct red card offenses and not second yellow cards.

Ange Postecoglou suggested recently that clubs have to shoulder part of the blame for long stoppages for VAR, saying: “Some of it is self inflicted because if we come out every week complaining about decisions that is what will happen, every decision gets forensically checked and we will be sitting around for a long time in every game trying to figure out what is going on.”

It should be acknowledged that most of these are personal views and while Arteta may view it as a flaw, other managers, fans, or even officials may see it as a justifiable decision.

An event occurred where there was a clear mistake, rather than a subjective one, when Luis Diaz scored a goal for Liverpool against Tottenham that was initially deemed offside. Despite the VAR officials running their processes and showing that the goal should have been allowed, it was still disallowed. This error was due to the official, Darren England, forgetting that offside had been called instead of a goal.

Millie Bright strongly objected to the absence of VAR in the initial Women’s Nations League, citing that a blatantly offside goal was not overturned for England. This was a situation that could have easily been resolved with the use of VAR.

PGMOL has had to apologize for additional VAR mistakes, such as not giving Wolves a penalty against Man United when Andre Onana collided with Sasa Kalajdzic, not adequately reviewing a goal for Brentford against Arsenal with no offside lines drawn, and disallowing a West Ham equalizer for a foul that was not evident.

To be honest, significant amount.

It goes unnoticed when three or four calls are accurate, but one call may result in a serious complaint or be a subjective decision that most people disagree with.

In the recent match between Tottenham and Chelsea, many goals were disallowed due to offside after being reviewed by VAR. The penalty that led to Cristian Romero’s red card was also influenced by VAR.

In general, these calls are usually considered correct but are not emphasized, partly due to the availability of technology for the purpose of assisting officials in making accurate calls upon review.

That doesn’t mean they don’t occur, though. The Premier League reported that 82 per cent of decisions were correct in the season before VAR was introduced, rising to 94 per cent being correct in 2019/20.

The Premier League’s website states that VAR will only be utilized in cases of “obvious and clear errors” or “important missed events” in four game-altering scenarios: goals, penalty decisions, direct red-card incidents, and mistaken identity.

VAR is continuously reviewing and observing match footage from the hub at Stockley Park in the occurrence or potential occurrence of any of those match situations.

If a decision needs to be made, either the VAR or Assistant VAR (AVAR) will communicate with the referee to pause the game while they review the situation. They will then suggest either overturning the original decision, having the referee review the footage on the sideline, or continuing the game with the initial decision made on the field.

The video officials have until the ball goes dead to inform the referee that a check is underway if play is already ongoing.

After receiving the VAR recommendation, the referee has the option to review the pitchside monitor or follow their initial assessment. They can then choose to either uphold their initial decision or change it, and communicate their final ruling to the spectators.

Howard Webb, the leader of the refereeing team at Professional Game Match Officials Limited, assumed the position last year with the goal of enhancing the quality of refereeing in English matches and facilitating the implementation of technology.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has informed the League Managers Association that they are currently exploring ways to integrate Video Assistant Referees (VARs) into the on-field referee teams for match days. Their goal is to create a dynamic between the referees and VARs that will lead to positive results.

Following the Diaz situation, the group recognized that a significant mistake was made and implemented further procedures to prevent it from happening again. Additionally, they shared the audio recording of the incident, which was deemed as an uncommon measure by Webb, in order to demonstrate the obvious human error and lack of focus that occurred.

Webb has proposed an increase in the number of officials specific to VAR, but the case of Lee Mason serves as a warning. While Mason was initially appointed as a full-time VAR for the 2022/23 season, he left the role last season due to a mistake made during the Brentford vs Arsenal match. This was not Mason’s first error, as he had previously been taken off the referee list for incorrectly disallowing a goal for Newcastle. Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett referred to him as a “serial offender”. Despite this, Mason was re-hired at the beginning of the current season as a coach for referees in lower leagues. This has raised questions about his suitability as a mentor for less experienced officials, having already been removed from his previous position.

The Independent was informed by PGMOL that Lee Mason is no longer involved in the operations of VAR.

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