At the root of almost any football match, there is controversy. Critics of VAR (video assistant referee) have argued that it will end the debate which comes from every questionable decision in the game – which it simply won’t do. In the Champions League second leg match between European giants, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, the football fan-base was split as to a handball decision which was awarded in the former’s favour, and, essentially won them the tie in the last minute. This in itself is an example of debates that VAR will cause. So, whilst it will do its job in correcting obvious errors such as Andre Marriner’s accidental sending off of Kerion Gibbs instead of Alex-Oxlade Chamberlin, it won’t remove the aspect of the game which is most exciting to analytical fans. According to the International Football Association Board, A “referee may be assisted by a video assistant referee (VAR) only in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’.”
VAR won’t totally end the debate about controversial decisions
Published on: April 30, 2019 12:00 AM