I Hate VAR.
Written by a Tottenham Hotspur fan
As an avid follower of the English Premier League, I can give you two unquestionable facts:
- Bruno Fernandes will always finish a match with a goal or assist
- VAR is terrible
The second fact is the one I am most convinced about. You might say I’m biased since I’m a fan of a team that has been screwed over countless times by VAR. But believe me. It’s not bias that makes me think this.
The Premier League introduced VAR in November 2018 after a unanimous vote from every club in the league. We first saw its appearance in 2016, when it was used in an international friendly between France and Italy. After its successful use in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, most European leagues adopted VAR.
The English Premier League was the last of the major European leagues to bring in VAR.
Cue, the fall of top-flight English football.
Nothing is more painful than seeing a win snatched from your favorite team because of a slight mishap from a player — even worse when that mishap is scrutinized for five minutes in front of your very eyes by an assistant referee on a screen.
In-game video analysis has become one of the most obnoxious things to see in a football match. Countless times, VAR has stolen fans’ joy after a picky offside call overrules a game-securing finish.
VAR can be used to overturn a subjective decision if a “clear and obvious error” has been identified. The referee will explain their decision to the VAR, and what they have seen. If the evidence provided by the broadcast footage does not accord with what the referee believes they have seen, then the VAR can recommend an overturn.
Tell me, how many VAR overturns that you’ve seen have actually fit the “clear and obvious” standards?
In theory, the concept of VAR is impressive. I know England fans wouldn’t mind VAR in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, after all. VAR can be the difference between a Champions League spot and a narrow miss at a shot for the top.
So why isn’t it being used properly?
New concepts added to football almost always develop the sport for the better. The two-player offside rule of 1925 revolutionized the sport, ushering in a new dynamic of football technique, and the introduction of yellow and red cards in 1970 heightened the level of sportsmanship from footballers and increased viewership.
These additions helped in propelling the sport forward, but VAR may actually be one of the few additions that held the development of football back. One of the defining qualities of the beautiful game has been its loveable unpredictability, the spirit that has seen some of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
VAR numbs that feeling when officials examine every single uncertainty in a game. It’s done a great job of pointing out errors that aren’t clear and obvious, and many teams have suffered the downside of this. Calling players offside because of an inch of space is not what PL clubs voted for in 2018.
Away from its harmful effect on match results, it’s no secret that video analysis slows down the flow of the game. The average VAR intervention time is almost a minute, which sounds short, but when recordings are analyzed six times in one match, things start to feel disjointed. In situations where a referee could use his best judgment, they instead decide to go to the replay for an inevitable “on-field review”.
This happening many times a game is annoying for any team, and even more annoying for a team fighting for the top spots in the league table. Trust me, I know — I’m a Spurs fan.
Since VAR graced the league in 2018, it’s had its ups and downs — but most fans can agree that these have mostly been downs. Managers, players, and fans are yearning to see the day that VAR starts doing what it’s supposed to. It has great potential to be a useful attribute of Premier League football, but until then, I am not a fan of it at all.