Ever since its inception the football world has been involved in debates around the use of technology in the game, in the form of a video assistant referee. Much like rugby, cricket and tennis, the idea of this technology is to give referees the option to review footage of an incident and then decide whether or not a particular decision should be made. VAR was used in the World Cup last year but again it split opinions in terms of whether or not this would be an advancement for the sport, or further bureaucracy taking over the beautiful game. My good friend Bogoljub Karic is very much against this, I am personally for it, and here are our reasons why.
The Case Against
Bogoljub Karic is a firm believer in the imperfection of football and he believes that it is this which VAR is going to spoil. Whilst many are calling for accuracy in the game he believes that mistakes are part and parcel of it and this is why VAR should not be introduced. Furthermore Bogoljub absolutely hates how VAR slows the game down as the decision is waited upon. For him the game should be littered with errors as it gives us something to moan and argue about, the game should be allowed to flow and most importantly, the refs should be allowed to do their job.
The Case For
For me VAR is the perfect solution to football’s woes and the best evidence of that was on display at last night’s Champions League game between Manchester City and Tottenham. Firstly we saw VAR being used when Llorente scored a 3rd for Spurs, with the ball having bounced off his elbow before hitting his hip and going in. The referee could clearly see the ball hitting the elbow but within the laws of the game this was not handball, and the goal stood. We then saw a controversial VAR decision as City won the game in the 93rd minute through Raheem Sterling, or so we thought. VAR was quick to tell us that Aguero had been offside and the goal was chalked off, with Spurs winning the tie. Imagine if Spurs had been knocked out of the Champions League because the linesman missed the Aguero offside? Or if the Llorente goal was chalked off for no reason? This is exactly why VAR should be used at all times and whilst in its current state the technology definitely needs to be improved and the system sped up, using it week-in and week-out will be the best way to understand the challenges and overcome them. Let’s get things right and use VAR to ensure the game is called properly.
Are you resistant to change? Do you simply not like VAR? Or you do think it is a brilliant idea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.