The flaws in VAR reared their ugly heads again this weekend as Everton played host to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.
Toffee’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, should have been shown a straight red card after a nasty challenge on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. The incident went to VAR, whereafter it was discovered that van Dijk was in an off-side position and no further action was taken against Pickford.
After the game, referee David Coote said he ‘didn’t know he could send Jordan Pickford off’, highlighting the flaws that remain in the VAR system. We’re going to give you all the information you need to understand the VAR system, in its current capacity, and this should leave you with a better understanding of just when and where VAR can be used.
VAR came into use in 2018 with the promise of ‘minimal interference’ and ‘maximum benefit’, to be used to clear up any obvious errors or serious incidents that the referee misses.
There are four areas in a football match that can be reviewed by VAR,
• Goal/No Goal
• Penalty/No Penalty
• Straight Red cards
• Mistaken Identity
The VOR, or Video Operation Room, is where all of the on-field decisions for VAR are made. If VAR believes that no further action is required, the referee is contacted in what is called a ‘silent check’. VAR checks often take place while the match continues and if an error is spotted the play can be brought back. The referee can check his monitor and then make a decision. At that point the referee can choose to overturn a decision on the advice of VAR, ignore the VAR, or proceed with an on-field review.
VAR can recommend on-field reviews, or OFRs, so that the official doesn’t always rely on the VAR team. During an OFR, the referee has access to a video of the incident and can use slow motion replays to make up his mind. This is often used in handball or red card incidents.
Clearly, there are still gremlins in the machine and VAR is some way off being 100% reliable. There have been a serious of penalty decisions, often based on the new handball rule, that have confused managers, players, and even referees this season. Perhaps VAR isn’t totally to blame for these mistakes, but it certainly isn’t innocent.
The main issues with VAR are that some ‘clear and obvious’ errors are not being corrected, supporters don’t have confidence in the system, the decision making process is questionable, and fans often aren’t sure when and where VAR will intervene.
Once VAR irons out its mistakes the fans will be more accepting of it. You will never please everyone, but there is nothing more frustrating for a fan than seeing a decision go against them under VAR and not receive the same treatment at the other end of the pitch.
The system is improving year on year, and if that continues, it won’t be long before VAR is flawless and only contributes to a fair outcome to the game.